Pilgrimmage

I came. I saw. I worshipped at the Wall of Koigu.

beavah weekend

After work today I am heading north for a weekend away. An extended ‘Girls Night Out’ if you will. At least that is what I have been lead to believe. I have heard about Beaver Weekend for years and am finally able to go and see what it’s all about for myself. From what I hear it’s a bit like camp, but with more alcohol. Skanky Swap, skits, cocktails and snacks, yoga, hikes, games, and lots of laughs. I’ve already lined up the other crafty folks for a trip to Patternworks on Saturday.

As you may have guessed from the name, there is a certain ‘edge’ to Beaver Weekend and after following the e-mail threads and having heard the stories, I decided that I needed a Beaver Hat for the festivities. So one night last week, I made it to the craft store and picked up some fun fur (//shiver//). A few hours later I had a ridiculously silly hat (modeled by the lovely Java the Pup above). It’ll be perfect. I never thought I’d say this, but what would I have done without Fun Fur?

I also whipped up a perfect item for the Skanky Swap, but while innocent and entertaining, I’m a bit shy about putting it out here on the blog. Besides I have to wait until it’s gifted, don’t want to ruin the surprise for my fellow Beavers.

I’ll definitely be blogging this weekend, but don’t know if I’ll be able to post. I’ve got the WordPress app on the iPhone, but coverage up in the wilds of New Hampshire is allegedly spotty. Hopefully they’ve added a few more cell towers since last year.

time suck

As if Flickr, Twitter and Facebook (Farmville is evil I tell you. Evil.) weren’t enough Flickr had to go and create the Commons. I could spend hours browsing, adding tags, and favoriting photos. Where else could you find a photo of a “Here Comes the Bride” float being drawn by the bridesmaids?

I wonder if the bride had a Cinderella complex?

Apologies for the drive by post, but work was busy and I’ve got lots of errands and packing to do tonight.

what I’ve been up to

Wondering what I’ve been up to since I took my blogging Rumshpringa? (I have made my choice and decided to come back to the fold.) I thought I’d take a few posts and give you the highlights of the past year or so.

First up, the failed 365.

I’ve failed at 365 twice. The first time I lasted less than a month and the idea of that project was to just take and post at least one picture a day. The second time I went for the self-portrait 365.  (You can see the full set here.)  I surprised myself by lasting longer with that one (about 3 months or so), but I just couldn’t bear to take another picture of me at work so I gave it up.

I was pretty much on the road for work non-stop from January until April. I felt like a minor league ballplayer. Three or four days here, then back to my parents’ house for 3 or four days. Rinse and repeat for weeks on end. Thankfully I was able to use my parents’ hosue as a base of operations. Java the Pup got to hang out in a consistent environment and I got to enjoy Mom’s home-cooking when I was home. I think I spent less than five nights at my condo in Boston between Super Bowl weekend and Tax Day adn the only reasons I made the short trips to Boston were because I had concert tickets. 

Last year the work travel schedule forced me to miss two nights of Dave Brubeck, I wasn’t going to let that happen again.   So this time around I made sure I was in town to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Sanders Theatre, the Blind Boys of Alabama with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Symphony Hall, and Pink Martini at the Opera House.  All three were fantastic and well worth the effort to get back to Beantown between trips.

The 365 pretty much killed my photo-mojo too. Instead of being inspired by the world around me, the fact that I *had* to take a picture of myself made it a chore. A chore I didn’t enjoy. A chore that was made more taxing by the fact that I was always working. For years I used to carry my camera everyday, just in case I came across something that was visually interesting. Now I will go weeks without picking it up. I’m hoping to get the mojo back, and more often I’m finding myself wishing I had my camera with me so I could capture a moment. I’m not going to rush it though, I tend to rebel when I am forced to do something.

civic duty

Did you vote today?

I did.  Sadly, not all of my choices won, but at least I won the right to complain.

weekend progress

Oh, the knitting that can be accomplished when I am not driving for hours and hours and hours on a weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like driving. I much prefer to be the driver than a passenger. Crank some tunes, sing along, and enjoy the scenery. But driving is like being at work. The entire time I am driving/working, there is a part of me that would rather be knitting and thinks about what I could be knitting and how much progress could be made on various projects. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that.

But I digress, so back to the sweater update. I’ve finished the skirt portion for the back of the Seacolors Jumper. You can just see a hint of the purple that I am using for the picot hem. I sewed down the hem yesterday. My two favorite bits of finishing are sewing picot hems and the three needle bind off. I dread all other finishing. Kitchnering toes isn’t bad, but since I knit socks toe-up I rarely kitchener.

I’m also going to use purple for the neck and arm edging but not sure how. More picot? Crochet? (The pattern calls for rolled stockinette, but that is right out.) And I’m thinking about throwing in a thin stripe or two at the waist. (Will it look awkward and cut me in half, or look fetching and highlight the shaping?)

I’ve already cast on and completed the hem for side 2. I made significant changes to how the short rows were knit that I wanted to do the other side before I forget what I did.

(Yeah, I’m going to try NaNoBloMo this year. Maybe that will get me back in to the bloggy swing of things.)

seacolors

I remember when Nanney Kennedy first brought her Seacolors yarn to Circles a few years ago. I oohed, I awed, I fondled (that all sounds so dirty), but I didn’t buy any. I have fondled and lusted after Nanney’s Seacolors since then. I finally broke down and bought a sweaters worth at Stitches East.

I cast on for a Sleeveless Jumper with Picot Hem on Friday and oh my! The yarn is divine. Such a soft hand for a rustic yarn (I have a weak spot for the rustic) and the depth of color is gorgeous. (Each batch is solar dyed in a lobster pot.)  I am already plotting and planning my next sweaters worth.

Yep – another one

Pattern: Mistake Rib Scarf (CO odd number and multiple of 3. Set up row K2 P2 ending with a P1. Row 2 and every row Sl1 purlwise, K1 P2 K2 ending with a P1.)
Yarn: Dunno. I think it’s Kangaroo Dyer Sock Yarn, but the ball band was lost long ago
Needles: US 4 (circular)

Another attempt at thinning the sock yarn stash. It’s always nice to have a mindless, portable, project on the needles.

(Two days in a row! See, I’m slowly getting back into the blogging habit.)

look another FO!

Pattern: Chickadee Cowl by K. Kapur of Through the Loops
Yarn: less than one skein of Manos (color 113)
Needles: US 9 (circular)

Cast on for this at lunch on Friday, cast off and wove in the ends on Sunday morning. Would have been sooner but I spent Saturday at Stitches East. This is my second Chickadee, and it won’t be my last. Oh, how I love the rhythm of Linen Stitch in the round.

I am working on gaining the courage to post about all the purchases made at Stitches. (I may have gone a little overboard.) Look for lots of pretty yarn pictures soon.

eat sugar

Actually, the sign says “Eaton’s Sugarhouse”, but the fiddy lens crop amused me. It’s also a good summary of the weekend. Pineapple pancakes, Maple milkshakes, maple candy. Mmmmm. And I don’t even have a sweet tooth.

The weekend was so much fun we are already planning to take over the B&B and go back next year. Even the rain couldn’t dampen the fun. I tried spinning and yoga for the first time (not at the same time mind you), and I am looking forward to more of both. But first I need to knit my purchases.

I was good and stuck to my budget and only 4 skeins came home with me. One skein of a gorgeous silk/merino blend from Biltmore Wool Barn (from Brewster, MA) in a lovely grellow. (What to do with 190+ yards of sport/worsted weight?) Two kits from Dye Dreams also made the trip south, Harmonia’s Rings Cowl and the Portuguese Fisherwoman’s Shawl.

Have to wind up the yarn cakes this morning so they can join me on vacation. I’m working on scoring a seat on a Rhinebeck bus and I need something to wear.