Sorry for the absence dear ones, but the while there was heaps of wireless at SOAR, it all stopped working on my computer for reasons that are totally mysterious to me. Then there was no internet in Connecticut, so this is (probably?) coming to you from Bradley airport where I’m perched with a coffee ready to fly home.
(There seems to be wireless here. We shall see. I’ve been disappointed so many days in a row that my faith is shattered.) I’m hoping that it just all starts working again sometime soon. Since I didn’t do anything to screw it up, I labour under the delusion that doing nothing will fix it. (What got you in will get you out…right?)I started to write this in the airport in Reno…(There are slot machines at the gate…
Just out of sight on the right in this picture is a lady yelling “Just one more dollar” at a guy I assume is her travelling partner. Rough crowd. )
Lucky for me I’ve been so busy that I didn’t have time to need the internet anyway. The days and evenings at SOAR are busy, busy, busy, and when I’m not busy, I’m asleep. I’m learning that my sea-level living self doesn’t agree with these heights and I was sleeping huge amounts of time. Toronto sits at 347 feet above sea level and Lake Tahoe at at what my lungs clearly consider an astonishing 6225 feet. This altitude really leaves me breathless and gasping, and perhaps a smidge queasy. I actually considered putting my head between my knees when the world got a little dark around the edges after carrying my suitcase, purse, laptop and wheel up three flights of stairs while I was there. While I can’t show you what oxygen deprivation looks like, here’s some stuff from SOAR I can show you.
This here is an intriguing SOAR phenomenon known as “pine-henge”
Apparently SOAR participants artfully arrange the cones under cover of darkness. It is ever-evolving, and everytime I walked by it it was different. There was apparently a pyramid at one point, but it had complex structural difficulties. (These pinecones fall from tall trees above and Amy Clarke Moore and I were almost bonked severely on the head while obtaining the first picture. )
The Keynote went fine, though it was very scary. (I wasn’t sure about talking about spinning instead of knitting. It was a leap.) Lo….
the spinners of SOAR.
(Half of them are blurry. I don’t know why.)
That was Thursday. Friday I took two classes. The first one was with Alden Amos called “As The Wheel Turns” which was an overview of the technical workings of a spinning wheel. He had this HUGE flyer and bobbin that he had built just for SOAR to explain the relationships between all of the parts of a wheel.
Big eh? It was so big it was sort of shocking. (What was shocking actually, was that it was a working wheel. Not an elegant working wheel, but a functioning wheel none the less.
Rachel sure thought it was shocking. I had a fantastic time following her around. We made a beer and ATM run that was exactly what I needed. The woman is a fountain of joy to be around. I got her to hold the sock…
and Alden too. (He was….bemused, I think. At the very least he resisted the urge to tell me what he was thinking when I asked him to “hold my sock”, for which I am grateful. If you have met Alden then you must know how difficult that would be for him.)
We had lunch, I regrouped and spent the afternooon in a class with Judith MacKenzie McCuin
intriguingly called “Three Wild Downs”. The class was an introduction to spinning the down fibres of bison, yak and cashmere. I was a little worried, mostly because the last time I tried to spin cashmere I managed to turn the little cloud of fibre into my hand into a mass of twisted $30/oz craptastica… but Judith is a wonderful teacher, and once she tells you a few magic things (“relax” is a big help) it’s really wonderful.
We spun about 16 different samples of varieties and blends. Yak/silk? Yum. (After the class I went to the market and found the booth from The Fold and made an embarassment of myself to Toni feeling up little wee bits of very good things. We shall not speak of it.)
This was the spinner next to me in Judith’s class.
Nancy Bush. I Love SOAR. There is simply the finest collection of fibre arts teachers in one place that you’re ever going to find. Jeannine Bakriges, Stephenie Gaustad, Andrea Mielke...
Deb Menz and Sara “freakin” Lamb…the list went on and on. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was really wonderful, you wouldn’t believe the things I learned. Getting to go in exchange for giving a terrifying speech to some of the people you respect most in the world was totally worth it. Totally. The icing on the cake was the view from my room…
and the promise of seeing a bear…
which I did.
I’ve got way more to tell you, like about the breast cancer fundraiser I just did in Granby, or the way that the altitude in Lake Tahoe makes all of your pens explode on your knitting, or the gigs I’m doing later this week. Heads up Ontario, it’s Kingston November the 8th, Ottawa the 9th and Montreal the 10th. Details tomorrow. …but that
….is my plane. It’s not very big….is it? Someday we will discuss my irrational belief that big planes stay up better. I have no idea where I got my idea that something heavier was more likely to fly…but there you have it.
First to comment!
Loved the latest, which is making me think I need to start spinning, too.
Have thought about spinning, but it would encroach on knitting time . . . where are the wedding photos???? 🙂
The sock looks like it would fit on Alden’s thumb!!!
Looks like a great time had by all 🙂
The pictures are blurry because there isn’t enough light. When there isn’t enough light the shutter has to stay open longer, your heart beats or something and it moves the camera. If you have a setting on your camera for “film” speed or ISO, set it to 800, at very least 400. Make sure your flash is working. Brace your elbows against your body and breathe out before you snap the shutter. That should take care of it.
Sounds like you had a great time at SOAR and beyond (except for the minor technical glitch and altitude problems). Actually, I’ve always felt safer in small planes. I figure if we need to make an emergency landing, there are a lot more options for a small plane – a 747 doesn’t fit on a 2 lane road, for instance.
Pine-henge, eh? You’d have thought they’d call it cone-henge….
I like the matching photo of you on Rachels blog looking shocked about the giant spinning equipment.
Ahh, SOAR, one day I’ll make it there. Thanks for sharing!
Love the cone-henge comment! I must make it to a knitting event next year. That is my goal. Oh, and finishing projects. And knitting the projects I already have instead of buying stuff to make new ones and …
Looks like you had fun. Travel safely!
Montreal? Really? I can’t tell you where to find yarn, but do not leave without stopping by St-Viateur Bagel Factory located at St-Viateur and Park Avenue. Forget the cream cheese — you must eat them fresh out the oven, tear them up and dip them in tzatziki. You can thank me later. Enjoy 😉
The little planes are scarier to me because it feels like there’s less between me and hurdling through time and space at way faster than my car will go. You’re just more aware of the world whizzing by you.
*whinge* There have been no fiber festivals for me this year. Though apparently there was one here in Murfreesboro, TN and I missed it because instead I was camping out in GA with a bunch of pagans and heatherns. It was cold.
I am simultaneously infinitely jealous and pleased that you saw such wonderful things, met such wonderful people, and spun such beautiful fibers. I can at least have vicarious SOAR. The big spinning wheel is nifty-keeno, btw.
One Day I shall make it to SOAR! Looks like a good time to me 🙂
big planes vs small planes — i agree. i work in consulting, and the bigger projects always get the more experienced people and the better maintenance agreement. the way i figure it, the smart people built the bigger plane. the little one, that was built as a training session, or by the people who couldn’t make it on the big-plane-team 😉
can you imagine the size of the skeins you could get off that wheel, though? i wish i could have gone. maybe some day. and i do understand about the altitude thing. i live in omaha, which is about 12oo feet above sea level (i think, don’t quote me, lol) my grandmother lived in gillete wyoming, and the cemetary up the road (it’s the family cemetary) has a geological marker that says it’s over a mile high. there is a huge difference! i’ve never had altitude sickness, but my mother and father ALWAYS did. and my grandmother always got sickw hen she came down the hill (so to speak) to visit us. why i don’t, i have no clue. hardy stock, maybe?
Ha! I live just 15 minutes away from Andrea Mielke…maybe that means I should take a class from her someday. Or just say Hi. Or Something. Don’t mind me, I’m just glad to have the Harlot back online.
Kingston?? you’re coming to kingston??
i might just have to drop everything, neglect the family and take a small road trip to visit.
Steph – It was nice to meet you at SOAR and I want to thank you for the nice things you said about my sock.
I had a touch of altitide sickness when I first arrived and the advice I got was to drink lots more water. I did that and after the first day I felt fine. Well as fine as you can be when your heart feels like it’s going to leap out of your chest after 3 flights of stairs.
I’ve just booked my spot at Yarn Forward in Ottawa to come and see you and The Sock for myself on Thursday evening and I can tell you I’m more than a little excited!! All my Yarn Harlot books are piled high beside my bed, and I’m reading them for the 2nd and 3rd time! Safe journey back to Canada and we’ll see ya when you get here!!! (I’m sooooooo excited……….)
What would have happened in the airport if there were gambling machines that paid off in roving or yarn????? Sounds like you had a magnificent time learning, meeting and spinning.
I, too, have a problem with Tahoe — but mine is the pine trees and snow! (Am allergic to Western pines, and even some Eastern USA ones)What a fabulous time it looks like you had. And on little planes — the first plane my mother flew on had wooden floor boards through which you could see the scenery! That told me right there that bigger planes were safer just like bigger cars are safer.
Gotta watch those slots in Nevada. They’d put ’em in the bathrooms if they could 🙂
I totally understand the altitude problems … had some of that myself in Santa Fe last month. Icky, icky, icky. Totally winded with two blocks of walking! Then they have the nerve to say that eliminating alcohol will help, LOL.
Aw…Rach! Damn, I miss that girl. I hope you got a hug off her. She’s a superior hugger.
Great. Now you make me want to learn to spin. Just great. I don’t have enough room to store my yarn – where the heck am I going to put a wheel, roving, fleeces…
Oh, right. I don’t spin.
Yet.
I’m SO glad you got to take some classes at SOAR…looks like Judith has a new “do”! I so love that woman and have learned so much from her. Sorry I missed you in Granby…a wake in the family takes priority over Harlot, sorry.
I was on a plane like that once. It was Christmas time and a lot of the flights were being cancelled due to snow. Mine wasn’t one of them. I was just fine right up until the co-pilot asked if half of us could sit on the other side because we were UNBALANCING the plane! See you’re not irrational. Five people could not unbalance a 747.
I am so jealous, I might just be green – I will avoid the mirror for a while to allow this to pass. This is the first SOAR I have not attended in almost 7 years. Plans this spring to buy a new house made the budget uncertain & then the actual new house proved that to be the wiser money choice, but I still miss going and seeing all the people I only see once a year! I’m still green. I hope I don’t have any business appointments this afternoon as I will not be fit to be viewed in public for at least a week (there will be more SOAR posts out there in the ether that will extend this monsterous change I’m sure). Next year I will be back even if I have to raid the piggy banks….
FINALLY you are coming where I can see you-looking forward so much to listening to you, maybe meeting you? in Kingston!No gambling machines here-but an enthusiastic crowd will be here!
You are inspiring me to begin spinning-but maybe first to reduce the stash so there is more room?
The bagels in Montreal are awesome, but so is Patisserie Belge on Parc, near downtown–I recommend a stop in if you have time.
I totally agree about the planes, size matters!
In fact I have met Alden, and I am very impressed: the man is not shy about venturing opinions (he would fit right into my family). The whole affair looks like tremendous fun. I share your feelings re small planes.
omg I am jelouse, nancy bush, alden and SOAR!! AHH!!! WOW!!
Looks like you had a great time and was in wonderful company.
Wow–I’ve seen the bear signs, but nary a bear… and bigger planes do stay up better. They do–it’s the embarrassment about how big their asses look on the ground as opposed to being in the sky. It’s scientific. Really.
We are totally stoked that you are coming again to see us in Ottawa. Now, what knitted garment should I wear…
The thing about big planes is that they intimidate the earth, so the earth makes more of an effort to stay away from them. The earth isn’t so scared of little planes, though, so I think your fear is very reasonable.
Too bad you didn’t get a lake-view room. Simply walking into your room and seeing the lake, or waking up and seeing the Lake just absolutley refreshes you anew each and every time you see it! Sorry about the altitude, though, it does take soem getting used to. Cheers!
SOAR sounds just like I imagine it.
I’ve already been saving my pennies for next year.
I’m in awe of you, I would be frozen solid if I had to address the group you did. Next month I’m giving a talk to a local guild, and I’m pretty nervous about it, most of these people have been spinning as long as I’ve been alive! :0
I wish I could stop in when you are in Montreal, as it is a mere hop, skip and a jump form me. But, alas, I’m not allowed in your fine country….
So, maybe you should hit Vermont sometime soon!
Fat Tire, knitting, spinning, and pinecone arranging! What more does a girl need!?
Bah, bagels are so NYC. Have a crepe or two, and wash it down with a Guinness 🙂
We’re getting excited here. CBC Radio is talking about you. The bookstore is nervous about what exactly a whack of knitters is going to look like. All is in place for world domination, or at the very least, a good laugh and a beer.
So did you get a picture of the BEAR holding the sock? Glad you had such a great time at SOAR meeting Nancy Bush and other fiber artists you admire so much. I sure miss you on days you don’t post but can’t imagine how you keep up the pace! Hope you have safe travel and fun in Ottawa.
SOAR 2007 looks to be arguably within driving distance. If Alden Amos is going to be there, I might just have to go.
Smaller planes have less stuff in them to go wrong. They also get more attention from the maitainence crews since their inspections are easier to do and snags are easier to find and fix. Small planes are also cheaper to buy so they get replaced more often. Just sayin’
SOAR looks like a blast.
Nonono, small planes are better! They bounce around more, but they don’t fly as high…can you tell that I think my life on earth has ended whenever I walk down one of those entry tubes into a plane? I really admire you for jetting all around in the service of fiber artistry – that’s way more courageous than talking to people who love you. And the bear sign rocks. Did you get to snap your bear? Did he/she hold the sock?
I am the “Yarn Harlot Stocker”….who drove up from Carson City just to see if I could find you (which of course I did…you were shopping for wool). My sister reprimanded me for not having my photo taken with the sock. Next time. Thank you for your advice regarding spinning wheels. I believe I will be purchasing something in the next few months.
Oh Fat Tire. How I love thee and the New Belgium Brewing Company. (And I love the Trippel, the Autumn Ale, that is 7.8% alcohol and quite lovely on one’s tastebuds.)
My husband and I honeymooned in Reno, and seeing the airport CARPET of all things took me back. I clearly remembered that carpet. It hasn’t changed in 8 years, except perhaps to become a tad more fugly. 🙂 Glad you had fun. Tahoe is GORGEOUS!
Ohmygod. THat looks like so much fun, that trip. I am glad you got to go, and I am going to put that on my “things to do before I die” list. Wow. Kathleen
OTTAWA on the NINTH???
That shreiking sound followed very closely by that wimpering sound you’ve no doubt heard from wherever it is that you are right now is the distinct (and, I’d wager, entirely unique) sound of a Knitter-who-Spent-3-Hours-Watching-Her-Beloved-Blue-Bombers-Lose-While-Simultaneously-Trying-To-Finish-Edging-the-Snowdrop-Shawl getting her heart broken for the second time in 24 hours upon learning that you and I will be in Ottawa 48 hours APART. *whimper*
I take some comfort in knowing that I am probably the only person in the country suffering these two heartbreaks at the same time, but that’s not quite enough comfort, I’m afraid. The only reasonable solution is for you to come to Winnipeg again, and for me to get to be your Yarn Crawl Enabler. I promise not to make you watch football.
Jenn in Winnipeg
I lived at Lake Tahoe for 10 years, and your photos brought back such memories! Funny about that altitude thing: when we went “off the mountain” the air felt like we were breathing through cotton batting – or maybe some of that cashmere fiber you mentioned? 😉
P.S. Yes, in Nevada there are slot machines *everywhere* even at grocery stores, movie theaters, regular stores, you name it…they keep the gaming industry strong, which keeps the residents (at least from what I remember) from having to pay state income tax.
Big planes vs. small ones: those people on Lost who survived? They were on a big-ass plane. Just sayin’.
A pilot on a small-plane airline once told me that, in the summer at least, the morning flights are way safer than the late afternoon/early evening ones. The atmosphere hasn’t heated up yet, so the winds are calmer or at least more stable. Thunderstorms and tornadoes and wind shear tend to happen when the atmosphere has more energy in it, like later in the day.
Finally – MONTREAL !!!
Can’t wait to know where and when !!!
The only way you can fly out of my town is on a wee plane. After a bit you get to where you actually prefer them. Friendlier, less crowded, and I find that the air is fresher. And nobody ever bugged me about my knitting on a small plane.
Nancy Bush holding the sock. Now, that’s an iconic image.
I dont think it’s that the big planes stay up better but I feel like they’re less likely to get their ass kicked by turbulence. Plus there’s the “oh my god, I am really flying through the air IN A CLOWN CAR” claustrophobia feeling. Also it seems like every time I fly in one of those tiny jets they are super delayed by mechanical issues. Express my foot.
I’m not really afraid of flying or anything…. I just hate that you can’t stop for a snack if you really get sick of it.
Am I the only one who thinks that Alden is totally the Rubeus Hagrid of the yarn world? With that massive beard and the huge spinning contraption? It’s cracking me up!
Glad you had a great time, it looks like it was a fun trip!
What happens with Toni stays with Toni.
I love bradley airport! I’m so glad that the wireless worked there for you.
And I’m thrilled you had a great time at soar, I can only imagine what that would be like. I want wedding pictures!
What great photos! I am green with the monster of jealousy. Okay, not really…but you do get to see some exciting cool places…but I understand the trade off is not being able to see your loved ones as much. Thanks for sharing with us.
Whee – wonderful report, Stephanie! Had to giggle at the slot machines, because I swear, cf. Wendyl’s comment, I *did* see one in a bathroom one time. I think. I could be mistaken on this. 😉 Pine-henge looks great, and when you mentioned nearly getting bonked, forgive me…I started howling, because it reminded me of the warnings about coconuts and falling palm leaves in Hawaii, LOL. (Attacking pine cones? Who knew?) SOAR looks like a total blast, and while I doubt I’ll ever get to it, you’ve made me more determined than ever to finally get to the Black Sheep Festival here in Oregon. Same state, and I’ve never been. Shameful. Gotta make it if I have to hitchhike.
Glad you had a great time and met all those people, and thanks for the lovely description. Good luck on the rest of the appearances! And the wireless. [g]
Dude. Nancy Bush held your sock. *boggle*
Looking forward to seeing you in Ottawa! You will love Yarn Forward. I know I would love to hear you talk about spinning some time – may just be the impetus to push me over the edge.
A whack of knitters – so that’s what we are, thanks LeeAnn! SOAR looks amazing. But I cannot learn to spin. I can’t. I spent Saturday relaxing – by touring every LYS I could find. I don’t think my budget could stand adding spinning. (Of course, I didn’t think I could fit more yarn into the armoire or closet, and I did!)
And, um, am I the first one to point out that a full cup of coffee (heck any cup of coffee) should not be placed in a spill position next to a laptop? Unless you want to get a new upgraded one, that is!
I know you’ve got some aged cashmere in the stash. Spin it now.
Ha! Craptastica! Gotta remember that one! Shall we send you some Pygora fiber to practice on? Did you get Judith’s story about holding the fiber like you are holding a baby bird? That is the best advice I ever received!!!
Ohh, that looked like fun! And driveable from my house to boot (not to mention proximity to slot machines). I may have to take up spinning just to go next year.
Then again, how do you decide when to spin or when knit? Is it a flip of the coin?
Hey Katie up there, my dad grew up in Carson City! And spent his summers at Lake Tahoe. When I was growing up in Maryland, we had a couple of sugar pine cones artfully arranged around the fireplace, a piece of home for Dad. Those are the really big cones you see there at Tahoe, and I believe they’re where pine nuts come from. I’ll go doublecheck with Dad… It would give him a chance to reminisce. He and his brothers worked as caddies at the golf course on top of the mountain, and would get on their bikes to go home and just soar so fast by the time they hit the bottom of that thing that their survival depended on their not turning their wheels one slightest bit. No cars in the way now. Please!
So since their bikes made it, those little planes can make it in the skies; both seem equally improbable, but it worked every time they needed it to, so…
I gave up on yak – I was expecting something that big to have longer down. I can spin 50:50 merino/yak and that is soo soft. Maybe one day I’ll graduate to yak on its own, more likely not.
I’m so amazingly jealous! I adore Nancy Bush.
I recognize that “Fat Tire” that Rachel was holding. MMMMM…my favorite beer.
This has nothing to do with anything. I just had to tell you that last night I had this dream where I was in a yarn museum, and I met you. When I asked if I could take a picture of you for my blog, you said, “Well, you can, but just make sure that it’s from the chest up, because I don’t want anyone to know that I’m pregnant.” !!!
Is there anything we should know? 😉
Also, you were with this big hairy guy…
I’ll feel really bad if this comment sparks crazy rumors all over blogland, I just thought it was funny.
1) I understand the altitude problem entirely. I could not have made 3 flights of steps. I doubt I could do 2 steps in that altitude.
2) Don’t worry about Toni, I used to live an hour from The Fold and she never sells and tells. Seems to me, with what’s in the news today, some OTHER professionals could use her discretion.
Look – the blurry picture was because of the altitude! All that shutter speed and light stuff was nonsense. Didn’t you say how bad you felt up there? All those people were just blurry from lack of oxygen.
And you are perfectly reasonable with your small plane fears. Planes are basically magical anyway (HEAVIER than air, right?) and the big ones have to have have more of whatever the magic stuff is. Simple.
Patty
P.S. I check three blogs daily – my daughter’s, my son’s and yours. I tell each of them that theirs is my favorite, but yours really is.
P.P.S. Do you have a way of being sure neither of them will see that last part?
Your sock has a passport! How cool is that?
I think I want to hear more about exploding pens on yarn. It sounds like a story in and of itself.
Also, I have talked to Toni on the phone as she enables all of us. Did you take a picture of TONI?
I’m with you on the whole plane thing. Ugh–how can you do all that flying?
Exploding pens?? uh oh! I hope it’s funnier than it sounds. . can’t wait to hear about it.
I here that you cracked them up baby, you go girl.
Yo Rachel.H I would so be in to a road trip next year, run away to SOAR! Lets do it.
Perhaps it could be the autofocus of your camera focusing in on your traveling sock and needles, rather than the people in the ‘background’. I know I have had this problem many times.
I absolutely love reading your blog… the great stories of your travels and home life… thanks for sharing with us all. You are part of the inspiration that got me started knitting a year ago. My stash has reached embarassing levels already… (it doesn’t take long does it?)
I here that you cracked them up baby, you go girl.
Yo Rachel.H I would so be in to a road trip next year, run away to SOAR! Lets do it.
crap, I did it again. sorry
Wait…you were in Granby? I totally could have driven up there! D’oh.
Mmm…Fat Tire. Good choice.
Oh dear–altitude! I know all about that. For several years my family would go skiing in Colorado. This flatlander had to spend the first day of each trip in bed. By the end of the trip I was perfectly fine, but the first couple of days were horrid. I’m glad you apparently didn’t get a really bad case of it! Looks like great fun!
Just catching up on your blog, after missing a week while I was away.
1. The red sock is *amazing.*
2. Alden looks like the owner of my lys. Any questions about why I hang out there?
3. The line about “for better or worse, but not for lunch” appeared in Ann Landers’s column about 30 years ago. My husband knows to find a time-consuming hobby before he even thinks about retiring.
Good luck to your hubby, on finding a new space.
4. My hubby and I just came back from several days at Walt Disney World. (I know, it’s a tough life.) Every time we see a piece of Tinkerbelle merchandise, we wink at each other, and say, “She’s such a slut.” Half the time, we buy them, though. I got a t-shirt that has a picture of Tink, and the slogan, “Keeper of Lost Boys.”
May you have love and happiness, and lots of quality knitting time.
YAK!
I LOVE SPINNING YAK!
In fact, I spun yak for so long that it was like an intimate relationship. I named my yak fibers: Bruce, Bruce the Second, Bruce the Final.
(Hey, at $20 per 4 oz, I had to limit to 12 oz.)
Nancy Bush held the sock?!?!?!!!! Did the sock feel honour and privilege? Actually, I guess it’s YOUR sock, so it’s used to being held by knitting greatness.
As for Kingston, I am unfathomably sad about it, but I really, really can’t make it. But if you’re thirsty afterwards, I know some good spots to knit/refresh oneself. 🙂
I love the matching photos on yours and Rachael’s blog. Does my heart a world of good.
i was just wondering how it is you get onto planes with your knitting in tow? do you bribe security? or the airline carrier? do you hide your knitting somewhere in your carry-on? you always seem to be knitting on planes which i think is a great way to pass the time when stuck in a confined space, i would love to know your secret to getting your knitting project onto a plane without having security take it away from you or make you post it back to yourself. does it only work when flying to the states and back? my reason is that i will be spending six to seven hours on a plane in the next little while and want to knit while in transit.
We do have internet in CT! I’m using it now 🙂
and Bradley is also in CT… just sayin’…
Okay, I live in NYC. People here think they have the last word on bagels only because they’ve never ventured north to experience the Montreal bagel. Much too much ink has already flowed over the past several years about the heated debate. And, yes, Patisserie Belge — how could I forget the best croissants ever anywhere. Oh, how I wish I could be there now…
Hmmm… Montreal eh? I’m wondering if that’s as far east as you’re coming. If it is, i’m wondering how work would feel if I told them I’m taking off on the 9th to drive to Montreal to see one of my heros? 😉
If you think you embarrassed yourself “feeling up little wee bits of very good things” at Toni’s booth, going to The Fold will give you sensory overload. All that fiber is intoxicating. When you walk in it’s like going home, only better than your own home. It’s what we all pray our afterlife will be.
A lady from the guild I belong to, Linda Shelhammer, was teaching a class at SOAR. I think it was on spinning stripes. I’m hoping to take my first spinning class from her soon. She’s on the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners (MAWS) and we’re hoping she’ll be bringing Nancy Bush here soon!!! To top if off maybe we can get you also?!?
I’m pretty sure you don’t have to go that far from Toronto to see a bear. They have similar signs in many Ontario Provincial parks. Aldon Amos is a different story. I don’t think he’s ever been spotted in an Ontario Provincial park. Glad you had a good time.
MWAH! I had a fabulous time with you, babe. You RAWK. xo
Yum… Fat Tire Amber Ale! Don’t know much about spinning but I know a beer label when I see one. (OK – Suddenly thinking that maybe this shouldn’t make me so proud.)
A star amoung the stars 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you spin up next!
I know what you mean about small planes. I flew Bearskin Airlines last week from Ottawa to Sudbury and back. I nearly lost my Timmy’s bagel on our way down in Sudbury on the Wednesday morning. I hope your flight was better.
I am really looking forward to meeting you on Thursday night in Ottawa. Have a great trip!
stephanie you need to come to Delaware. The higest point in DE is like 100 ft above sea level.
Most of it is below:)
Glad you had a good time at SOAR and I looke forward to more stories
And you were griping about the lack of air in Salt Lake. Some people . . .
Oh, Nancy Bush, I love her so very much. You are a very lucky spinner/knitter, and I am sure that your speech made them all special to have been there at SOAR. I am totally saving up for next year so I can hone my (currently awful) spinning. Excellent photos and commentary, as usual.
Oh YESSSSS big planes stay up better…I believe that too and have no freakin’ facts to back it..and I also believe knitting on the plane helps keep it up in the air, my proof? Well I always knit on the plane I have never fallen out of the sky…simple, yes I am…Oh well….glad you enjoyed SOAR…has been ages since I have gone to one..was thrilled to see Alden Amos in your pictures!!! He hasn’t changed a bit!
You saw a bear? Not the one on the sign? Is it drop and cover or run fast and loudly??? There were cougar warnings at our campgrounds this summer – cougar is one and bear is the other. SOAR? I am spinning-immune.
Well, the wings on the bigger planes are bigger…
Stephanie,
I totally understand the bigger-is-better idea of air travel. Big planes just feel so much more SOLID when you ride in them. And you know they have bigger engines, and more engines, so failure of one seems less scary.
Have fun. Wish I could have been at SOAR.
Alden resembles the fellows who frequent the RenFaires I attend, so I can totally imagine how hard he had to hold back after your “hold my sock” comment.
Nancy Bush! Did you tell her how you adore Folk Knitting In Estonia and think she is a knitting goddess like person? I would have found it hard to refrain.
I hope you got to see the lake!
Although I have no desire to spin (wool items are rare in Louisiana) it looks like you had loads of fun. I can’t wait until I am free enough (?) to go to conventions and the like. I would have peed me pants to sit next to Nancy Bush….but I’d probably do the same if I sat next to you!
I should have convinced you to come to Laramie after Lake Tahoe. You were already a bit aclimated to the altitude so the 7200 feet in Laramie wouldn’t have made you pass out (I hope). Otherwise, that’s a big jump from sea level. I’m glad you had fun.
Obviously half the spinners are blurry because your camera is accustomed to Toronto elevation. It’s clearly dizzy and having trouble focusing.
Great pictures and narration as always. Makes it that much harder to keep my resolve about NOT LEARNING TO SPIN. I don’t have ROOM for it! I barely feed my yarn habit as it is! (Did I mention the alpaca accident I had at my LYS? No? It’s best I don’t mention it. . . )
Wow, SOAR looks wonderful. Isn’t Judith a wonderful teacher? I took a class with her at Maryland Sheep & Wool. She even talked about you in class. 🙂
That is an amazing collection of spinning, knitting and fiber names! Incredible fame touching the sock – you can never wash it now!
see Judith is talking about YOU, how cool is that. How cool are you, am I cool for knowing you, hell ya, we’re all cool,…………………….
……….oh ya it’s it’s winter, no wonder we’re all cool eh?
See you and the sock in Kingston!!!
In the first pine cone picture, the Sock really looks like a giant blue cockroach crawling along the ground. I was horrified for an instant.
Is it just me?
Hee hee! Conehenge!
Wow, one of these days I am really going to plan ahead so I can take some workshops with these fine people.
hey lovely MRS stephanie. just checking in. im glad your wings are soaring. watch out for that mercury in retrograde in the scorpian sign. it just zapped me and stole away all my baggage from europe trip, plus robbed ron and i in holland, hospitalized me in sweden, car broke down in germany! yikes!! travel snarls indeed! nothing a bit of knitting wont fix. i looked hi and low for some nice wooly tweeds in scandic countries and none found, cept 2 dusty balls on a back bottom shelf at a pharmacy???i swear i saw sheep everywhere though or maybe i just have a wild imagination. maybe too much rock and roll schedule and not enough yarn quest. any suggestions for a sweater pattern for my dear one this xmas. wanna really go for it. a traditional cable or aran style. i wonder what your lovely MR joe is wearing in the nip weather. travel safe. hope to see you sometime soon, xo colleen ps those fuschia red stockings are GORGEOUS!!! (photo on the foot)
katie i thought it was a giant cock roach crawling on the pine cones too, if only they were all made of yarn! 🙂
Looks like a great experience.
And your view…*gasp* how lovely.
Little planes stay up in the air just as well as big planes. I should know, I work at an airport I drive around all kinds of planes all the time. Just don’t tell my boss I knit at work when he’s not around.
OMGosh! Judith and Nancy Bush? I adore Judith. I think she knows how to teach anything to do with fiber, and she does it so well!
Nancy Bush is, is, is, … my Sock Guru. Another wonderful human being.
Exploding pens? I’ll have to keep that in mind.
I’m used to small planes, and a big plane would probably seem weird to me (too many people!), but when I say small, I mean two seats on each side of the aisle. A few months ago I was surprised to find myself in a plane with only one seat on each side of the aisle. That was kind of claustrophobic. Oh, and no flight attendant.
You made me wonder what St. Louis’ altitude is. It’s 500 ft above sea level. No wonder Cusco, Peru at 11,000 felt so awful. That altitude thing is no joke – I totally feel for you. Fortunately it wears off after a while, but you never get to stay anywhere long enough, do you?
Denny, it’s like I told you on Thursday when I spent the afternoon in the store: (Megan should think about charging me rent at this point)I’m the one who only gets to be cool/known/whatever (coz I’m still working my way up to cool) by association. YOU are cool, known, and other wonderful things just because you’re you. Let’s talk road trip, darlin’.
I have that big-planes feeling too… I suspect it’s related in my mind to boats — big boats are less likely to be swamped in big waves, ergo big planes stay up better?
Oh man. I hear you on the altitude thing. I live only about two hours from Tahoe, and yet every time I drive “UP” there, I get kind of seasick.
Also, it stinks that you were that close and I could have shamelessly stalked you, and yet…oh well. We shall not speak of my husband, his insane birthday plans or insaner “hey, I know, let’s have an Irish session at our house the weekend before my HUGE BIRTHDAY PARTY!” ideas.
See? If you ever wondered how to make me coming out of lurkdom, you’ve got your answer: saying you were coming over here this week made the trick!
My first reaction: why, oh why is she scheduled to come right the day before my knitting deadline? But it didn’t take long before I realised all is well: it’s a felted project I’m knitting on that deadline, so the day before it’s due it should be drying, and I should be ok… unless it turns out so bad after its trip in my Mr. Washie that I have to knit an emergency replacement gift. Now, I just hope your coming to Montréal will bring enough good karma this way to prevent such a disaster!
I was just wondering how one deals with so many comments.
Loved your post. Loved hearing how you seemed like a groupie, when you have so many of your own.
Sorry about the altitude sickness. Sorry you didn’t get to see enough of the lake. Tahoe is amazingly blue. Sorry about the slots. They are pretty disgusting. Sorry to apologize so much. It’s a foible of mine.
I think Rachel H and Denny should talk road trip to Montréal. It’s not that far…
that’s not a plane.
it’s a flying insect.
it looks terrifying.
I am so jealous you went to SOAR.
One day I hope to go.
I think big planes stay up better too. Bigger wings, more lift, more crew, more backup pilots … ya know? I can quote myself, on my blog, at the beginning of the summer of 2005 (before Katrina), saying something to the effect of: “when we got to Dallas, we got off the toy plane and got on the real plane.”
I swear to you, if i was in a class with JMM and sitting next to Nancy Bush I would faint, I would absolutely faint.
Update more! I don’t want to study/do hw! I need a good excuse for procrastination! But wireless internet is like that. But if you’re clever and computer savvy, go for someone else’s internet. SOMEONE has to have it nearby…
And big plane = big engine = greater flying capacity. That what I think is making you think that.
I’m so sad to have not joined everyone in Tahoe this weekend, but seeing as I:
1. Didn’t know about SOAR until your post
2. Don’t spin
3. Can barely manage to fit in my knitting with my full time class schedule – ah grad school! -, let alone taking up spinning…
Although, seeing as I live in Reno, I was sorely tempted to throw all studying and weekend responsibilities aside and make the quick trip up the ‘hill.’ I would have loved to have met Rachel, as well… but all that will have to wait until this grad program is at an end.
Glad you all had fun, and I’ll have to think of you next time I sit by the lake with my knitting and just wish I had been there. Being fortunate enough to live 45 minutes from the most beautiful place on earth has its advantages.
I’m so sad to have not joined everyone in Tahoe this weekend, but seeing as I:
1. Didn’t know about SOAR until your post
2. Don’t spin
3. Can barely manage to fit in my knitting with my full time class schedule – ah grad school! -, let alone taking up spinning…
Although, seeing as I live in Reno, I was sorely tempted to throw all studying and weekend responsibilities aside and make the quick trip up the ‘hill.’ I would have loved to have met Rachel, as well… but all that will have to wait until this grad program is at an end.
Glad you all had fun, and I’ll have to think of you next time I sit by the lake with my knitting and just wish I had been there. Being fortunate enough to live 45 minutes from the most beautiful place on earth has its advantages.
Dude, are those PROPELLERS?
Wow! Soar looks like it was fantastic. I’ve heard rumors that it’s in Michigan next year so I hope to see you there!
(so saying that someone had 8oz of buffalo down…. how would they spin it…)
Sounds like a fun event and I know driving up to Tahoe plays havoc with my ears.
Totally jealous here…are you sure you aren’t supposed to come to Germany next? Pleeeeeeze? Looks like you had a great time. When will these outings of yours begin to involve Bookbookbook 4? Waiting impatiently…..
So nice to have you back!
Smaller planes are better because there are fewer people to fight for the parachutes.
They DID give you a parachute, didn’t they?
There was no internet in Connecticut because my friend Jennifer used it up the week before, posting pictures of me and my sock-in-progress in NYC. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.
We need to persuade your publisher that a European Tour is in order.
~x~
Welcome back! I’m so jealous of your SOAR trip! I went in 2004 and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. What an experience! Liz Gipson and Deb Menz came into the spinning/gathering room the first night and asked if anyone had a scale because Deb’s had died sometime during her flight. I said I did and got to meet my Dyeing Guru the very first night! I was a babbling fool because I’m a dyeing junkie and her Color in Spinning book is my Dyeing Bible! So as we were walking out of the room someone said ” Who would think to bring a scale to SOAR?” Deb Menz and I turned around at exactly the same time and said “A dyer!” It was like we rehearsed it LOL! How cool is that! After that it only got better. I got to talk to all these fantastic people that I had read about, and met people from all over the world. Amazing! I’m going to try and go again in 2008. It was just too much fun! As for Toni, did you feel the hyperfine merino she has? It has a Bradford count of over 150 and is amazing. Thanks for the update and hope you recover from your travels quickly!
Yarn Forward is asking people to reserve in advance if you are going to see the Yarn Harlot’s talk in Kanata. I’ve already done it – I get the feeling that if your name’s not on the list you may not get in…..
Glad you’re back!
Yes, the big ones DO stay up better (else I, too, share your delusion!) Not only that, but if you sleep (or don’t pay attention) it will plummet directly into the ground! Also, if it has propellers, don’t ask why only one is turning while you taxi to your runway…they WILL laugh at you!
Looking forward to spinning book next, eh?….
My heart did a little dance when I saw the picture of Judith MacKenzie-McCuin. I LOVE her. I took the same class at Wisconsin’s Spin-In last year. She is truely a master. Her calm demeaner just puts one at ease and makes us think we can do anything as long as we do it with calm and grace. Did I mention that I love her? Good to have you back….you were missed.
Barb
Are you planning on coming to London, Ontario in the near future? I am a new knitter, I love your books and your blog and would love to meet you.
Michelle
Did you fly into South Lake Tahoe Airport? On that tiny plane? I have been attending a professional conference at a small lake very close to Tahoe for the past 17 years, and for most of that time I have driven the 1.5 hours from Reno because the second year I attended I flew out on the last plane (a small one that resembled a flying cigar tube) to take off before the airport was closed for 36 hours because of extraordinarily high winds. I spent some terrifying hours bouncing around like a kite as the Sierras below looked more and more like claws or teeth just waiting for one of those 1,000-foot drops to keep on dropping. I promised myself that if I got out alive I would never fly into that airport again. I’ve never regretted that promise.
Did anyone notice the story on the Net today, about eco-friendly products? Fat Tire Ale is green, manufactured using wind and thermal energy. It’s virtuous! You’re saving the earth!
Hey! That’s the first time I have ever seen put into words the mystery of small planes vs large aircraft! That’s exactly the way I subconsciously think, but was never able to verbalize. Thanks. I don’t get it either.
Thank you for the photos of Alden, who rarely holds still for a camera (did you bewitch him?). There’s a spot on your upper arm that you can press to relieve the problems with altitude. Email me if you want it and I’ll take a photo of DD pressing hers.
Lots of fiber and fat tire! It looks like heaven. If only they sold fat tire out here in the east! I suppose it can be one excuse I can have to go out west again.
So how much of the yarn that was in the suitcase did you knit? I sometimes pack a little and knit it all, but when I pack a ton, sometimes I don’t knit any of it at all. I hope you felt more productive than that.
Enjoy your travels
I have the same thing with airplanes. Maybe the heavier weight makes it more impervious to turbulence? Who knows. But once you’ve flown from Minneapolis to Duluth in a puddlejumper in the middle of a freakin’ blizzard (yay Minnesota winters!), the intense dislike of little airplanes sticks with you.
Looks like you had a wonderful time Stephanie. Busy, but wonderful. I wish I could have been there too. Especially for your keynote address and Judith’s class.
The weekend of your wedding I spent at a 3 day spinning workshop in Rossland, BC taught by Judith. I had heard such amazing things about her and like you fell under her spell. I don’t need to rant on about how fabulous a teacher, fibre artist and woman she is. It was a great weekend and would have been even greater had you been there as well.
Stephanie, you’re next on my “Fibre Guru List’ of people to meet. So….when you making it out to Prince George, BC? Books & Co. has the room and a great cafe!
I feel the same way about airplanes. The bigger the better!
Looks like a great time at SOAR – the A-List of fibre artists! Wow- dream come true time.
We were at McGill in August. French is not that bad in Montreal…even for a midwesterner. If you really want some dirty looks, head futher east to Quebec City.
Although, we did meet a nice french waiter who was originally from Mexico…go figure.
Isn’t Toni the most wonderful person in the universe? I am happy to say that I live 30 minutes from her beautiful shop. Actually the word shop doesn’t do it justice. It’s a fiber kingdom and I urge everyone to pay a visit. You’ll be so glad you did.
i just want you to know that reading your blog makes my lunch taste better. thanks for making me smile!
I just listened to you on the radio.
As an intelectual and feminist there has been a time in life, when I decided to shock my surrounding by getting out the needles. (By the way, there has been a feminist book around, “The subversive stich” by Rozika Parker…)
Encouraged by the competence of an international audience I would like to post a problem: My 80 year old mother wears a sweater she borrowed from me 20 years ago – and never gave back. She loves it and is desperate about the prospect that it eventually will disolve. She has engaged different people to redo it – without success. How do I set about to post a photograph and ask the knitting world for help?
Ines, Berlin-Montreal
MAN! So jealous! We so wanted to see a bear, but I think our area was just a touch too civilized. We were in So. Lake Tahoe at pretty much exactly the same time you were at SOAR for Elisa’s wedding (lakeside, romantical, eh?), but couldn’t quite figure out how to sneak over crash the party. But we thought about it. More than is maybe seemly.