Knititations

Brainstorming a bit

Might as well post some of these ideas while I'm on a roll here, trying to brainstorm some gift ideas.  How about these?  While I've never been a 'critter knitter' it's not to late to start!  These l'il guys are the cutest.  And you can be sure nobody already has one!  The Meowzer below is a free pattern from Knitty, the book is from the collection of Jess Hutch . 

Fast & Furious......

.....is how I have to start knitting!   I just can't believe it's already December 5.  I think I've been in a time-lapse mode since Thanksgiving week.  Nothing like a bolt of reality therapy to get the adrenaline running.  Gift-giving anxiety sets in, and creative thinking is called for.   Some serious knitting time must be arranged.  It's time to stop meandering though the blogosphere and settle in on some realistic goals:  Just how many projects can be completed before December 24?  This year we have the bonus of a Hanukkah and Christmas that coincide.  There are some really wonderful Free Knitting Patterns  for great gift items like this "Gnomey Hat" on Hello Yarn.  Check it out!

                                                            

I finally have time for some knitting these days, as I've finished a rather lengthy job that seemed like it would never end.  I have lots of ideas for projects, holiday gifts and the like, but it's already almost Thanksgiving!  Speedknitting is in order!!  For the next week I have to plan and prepare for the annual Feast that we host annually.  That includes finishing the curtains that have been partly made for about a year.....as I recall, one of my early postings was a picture of my naked kitchen windows.  They're still naked.............

FYI, The JoAnn Stores Online Fabric and Craft Store is having a Yarn Sale and a Free Shipping promotion.  The free shipping code is NOVFSH525.  I've never bought yarn from JoAnn, but the prices seem good and you can find some basics.

Put down your knitting and vote for XC Skiing!

I'm not much of a TV watcher, and I don't usually pay attention to sports.  However, we have a place in the Adirondacks, and being so close to Lake Placid has raised my consciousness about Olympic events.  Therefore I'm including this message from my dear friend Christine, whose son is a sophomore at McGill University in Montreal.  Ryan is on the XC ski team at McGill, and he is asking us to show our support for this wonderful but under-appreciated sport by voting for XC (aka Nordic) skiing to be covered more extensively by WNBC.  Please cast your vote!

The Winter Olympics are only 92 days away!   WNBC.com is taking a poll about what Olympic events people are most interested in. To take part in this survey and show your support for XC skiing,

Go to: www.wnbc.com/olympics2006/index.html=20

In the right-hand margin is a poll, "What 2006 winter Olympic sport are you most interested in?"       Vote for cross country skiing!

Hopefully if there are enough people that vote, NBC will consider covering a larger portion of cross-country skiing at the Olympics. There is no limited amount of times you can vote so vote often!

Alpine skiing currently has 48% of the vote. Let's show NBC that the Nordic world deserves more recognition.

Mama's got a brand new stashbin

I think I found the stashbin of my dreams!  I am going to splurge on a couple of these cutie-pies from Pier One.  Three in a row would be perfectamundo, and the top ledge will be oh-so very useful for my jars of needles and stacks of knit-lit.  Let's see if they fit into my car.......I might have to wait for the Mister to bring home the station wagon from his weekend away in the Adirondacks.  I can't wait to see how all that yarn snuggles into the cubbies!  Thrill!

Poster Girl

Just because I haven't actually been knitting up a storm the past few weeks does not mean that I haven't been thinking about, talking about, writing about, and imagining knitting.  I've been insanely busy finishing up a job.  The details are infinite.  Now that it's winding down, and the cooler weather is winding up, I expect that the knitting will commence.

The Knitting Circle at Om Sweet Om yoga studio has been meeting every week for the past 3 weeks.  I've taught a whole group of people to knit so far.  There are several in the group who are solid knitters and have projects going full throttle.   I really look forward to these Wednesday afternoons.  I hope that we can grow a bit, find a few more people who are interested in joining.  I posted a notice in Craig's List but have had no response.  It's just really hard to get this sort of thing going in the 'burbs. 

I got a great email from one of the Paris Tricot knitters who read my blog.  I would love to organize a NY Yarn Crawl for a group of Parisian knitters coming here to visit and yarn shop! 

The graphic above is an original block print by Laura Wilder. 

Knitting Knor'easter

It's ranting and raving out there..........it would have been a primo morning to stay abed.  But that's not how it's done around here.  I think I've got the flu, though.  Last night I felt chills and aches.  This morning I woke up with a swollen wrist and blurred vision.  Unless I'm some sort of weather-witch I believe I am ill.  Wow, there's some howling wind at the door.  Silly kitty insisted on venturing out this morning, despite my admonition. 

OK.  Kwitcherbitchin.  Let's talk Heifers.  I got a catalog yesterday from Heifer International, a Little Rock OK based organization that is addressing world hunger by providing families in impoverished places with livestock and agricultural assistance, allowing them to be self-sustaining.  If nothing more, the catalog is filled with delightful photos of goats, llamas, chickies, piglets, angora rabbits, and the like, being held by smiling children of color with great teeth.   You can send a family a KNITTING BASKET for $500, which contains two mating pairs of sheep and llama, or a share in one for $50.  It seems like a great idea.  How about sending holiday gifts this year of shares in a knitting basket? 

Sara's Sutras: A Reality

The thrilling news for today is that my knitting circle started at Om Sweet Om Yoga!!  Six (count 'em 1,2,3,4,5,6, 7 including moi meme) people showed up for the session.  I taught 3 people how to cast on and knit today at the first meeting.  It was a total great time. I hope the interest continues.  If this works out I will pursue other places to teach.  (Perhaps my career as an interior decorator is on the wane--the job I'm working on now is almost killing me.  I've had to actually step over dog shit in my client's bedroom when I've gone over there to measure.)  I can't wait to see what everyone comes back with next week.  None of these women are really yet aware of the knitting "culture" that exists in the blogosphere.  We'll get there eventually.  We talked about doing a yarn crawl in Manhattan one day.   Whatever brought us together, the yoga, the knitting, the warmth of being together for the afternoon.........it was delicious.

This photo is was in the NYTimes a while back.  I just love the chakra images on the wall.  It makes me want to create chakra quilts. 

Back from Provence

View my Photo Album of Provence

I spent 8 wonderful days with a friend bumming around the south of France, practicing my French, eating and drinking and soaking it all up.  I have gotten most of the photos onto this album, but am still not sure if I have gotten it configured properly. 

Knitting.   Did not a stitch either on the plane or while in France.  Our hotel in Arles was a few steps away from the  Bergère de France yarn shop.  I stopped in one morning but was not capable of making even an impulse purchase in my jet-lagged condition.  It also seemed that most of the yarns were synthetic blends.   

I owe a lot of thanks to the Paris Tricot group.  Every morning for most of the summer I have spent 10-15 minutes with my coffee, reading the slew of emails generated by that group of particularly active and verbal knitters who gather on Thursday evenings at the Cafe Benjamin to knit and chat.  It helped my French immeasureably!  The sort of casual bavardage that goes on helped me just relax into the rhythms of the language.  It was with deepest regret that I could not plan my trip to include a Thursday night in Paris, just to attend one of their meetings.  French TV/TV5 recently filmed their group for a broadcast.  They were all a-twitter over it.  Next time, I will be there!

While sitting in the dentist's waiting room recently paging through old magazines, I found this amazing little camisole in the May 2005 edition of W Magazine.  The designer is Tao Kurihara, for Comme des Garcons.  Is this not just a jewel of workmanship? I love how the traditional Aran patterns have worked up into a cross between victorian too-too and campy 70's shabby-chic.  There is absolutely NADA of the typical Japanese minimalism here!  It has 3 straps, each one a different pattern.  It combines knitting and crochet, which is suddenly HOT, for those who can't commit to one format.  I want one, I need one, I should try to make one. In cashmere, d'accord.   

Click on the picture if you want to see all the wonderful details of the different stitches enlarged!