If you have not yet heard about the biblical rains that are slamming my fair city you must be stuck in a hole. Or not on the East Coast. Really is there a difference?! Tehehe. Kidding.

We did make it up to New Hampshire for the Sheep and Wool festival. It was wet. Saying that is just about the biggest freaking understatement of the year. Robby and I left early Saturday morning. Typically a road trip of over two hours leads to some change in weather. Not in this case. We drove and drove and it rained and rained. It was a bit cold as well.

We arrived and hit some of the barns. I showed Robby the wheels, the fleece, the yarn. He took a bunch of pictures met some of the girls that I hang out with and made nice with his fellow fair goers. Then his boyfriend Mike showed up and the two of them high-tailed it out of there and were off to greener pastures (or at least drier ones.)

I stuck it out for a few more hours. Wandered around. Laughed with some of the bloggers, ate food, drank hot cocoa (seriously, how is it that something so simple could Save. Your. Life.) I managed to get everything that I came for, with the exception of one item (part of a secret gift that will be revealed at a later date.) It was difficult to socialize through the rain, the mud, and the chattering teeth. I went solo for much of the afternoon which was an interesting experience.
My credit card is a bit hurt by the whole weekend.

Among other things I was pleased to find a Kumihimo Disk at one of the booths. ‘Member when I blogged about trying this? Well this is the first one I’ve been able to locate in person. It seemed silly to pay as much to ship something as it was to purchase it. I was determined to wait until I found one in the real world. I did. I haven’t tried it yet – I’ll give you the scoop when I pull it out.

I left the fair in the late afternoon because my panties were wet from all of the damn rain. I headed over to our hotel to warm up. I was determined to finish the second sock of my pair before we headed to dinner that night. I wanted to wear it out! Total nerd. I did not finish the sock before we left. However, I did finish in the bar while we waited for a table. Fortunately Kellee was able to snap a shot with her cell phone for posterity sake. Keep in mind that I wasn’t drunk – yet.

Yarn:

Yarn: Fortissima Mexiko/Fairisle
Needles: US 3
Pattern: Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Knitting Patterns sock pattern. Roll top.

How cool is it that I finished the Mexiko sock in a Mexican restaurant?!

See all of those Margarita’s on the table.? Um, I drank a lot. In my real life I rarely drink A LOT. I hardly ever get drunk. It’s a testiment to my love for these random internet knitters who blog that I felt comfortable enough to imbibe. That and the hubber was there to take care of me. And, he would have if he wasn’t too busy drinking all on his own!

We woke up late the next morning, had breakfast with Elisa and Mike, rearranged cars along the lines of sex and interest and Elisa and I headed up to Patternworks. The boys headed to the guitar store and then the bar. Shocking, I know. Patternworks was a great place. I felt pretty inspired while there and managed to find some cool tools (I’m a sucker for some tools), a pattern book (or two), and a felted fish kit.

I feel very warm and fuzzy today. Happy and proud that my man spent the weekend with me and truly enjoyed getting to know the girls that I spend so much time with. Some weird cosmic thing was going on and there were a lot of husbands/sig others floating around. Our dinner included four of these characters. Watching them fit so flawlessly into the seams of our group was really neat. Just goes to show – A little knitting can bring you quite a lot.

I picked up a super cool prize for the winner of last week’s contest. I just have to get Rob to pick who it is!!

Seriously – how funny is it when something travels through blog land and you see it over, and over, and over, and over again?

It drives you crazy.

The repetitiveness, the sheep mentality (hehe), the utter lack of originality.

You follow the links,
you place you answers,
you marvel at the little bits of information that you know
or don’t know about people.

You are slowly pulled in…

You wonder.

How well do they know me?

So, I am working on a fun project that is taking a lot of my free time. The finished knits parade is not quite over (groan from the crowd.) It will pick up again in a bit.

Rob and I are headed up to New Hampshire this weekend for the NH Sheep and Wool festival. This will be Rob’s first fiber festival and well, he is not so excited. Shocking! I know!

In fact, Elisa and I had to bribe our respective partners into attendance with promises of “boyfriend alone time” (background here: Mike and Rob have many of the same interests and sincerely enjoy eachother’s company independet of Elisa and my friendship. This is great and we have all dubbed their affection for one another as you would if they were dating one another.) (Kellee is still working on hers).

Their expected reply was: “Grumble, Grumble, well, I GUESS I’ll go if he’s going. (Sudden smile) HEY! I bet there are MUSIC stores up there.” Dear Mike has mapped out a thrilling weekend for them both. I’m hoping that Rob will spend some time at the event, just so he can get a taste of the fun sheepy goodness.

Maybe he’ll even make it to the TGKWB* lunch event (details here if you’re interested).

Here’s your opportunity to lend him some of your best advice.

Leave a comment with one (or both) of the following:

1 – Why he should attend.
2 – Survival techniques for negotiated the hysteria that may occur when Knitters (and Spinners!) are faced with SO MUCH FIBER.

They funnier the better. I will have him pick the most compelling and we will send you a bit of something from the festival.

Deadline for responses: 6pm Friday, May 12th. We’ll announce the winner that night.

On another note,

I ran into two interesting items in today’s papers. Check them out, some food for thought.

Poll Gives Bush His Worst Marks Yet
Graphic of Poll Here. via NYTimes. Generally Polls drive me crazy. I have a background in statistics and the media’s warping of the statistics behind the polls is, more often than not, really quite irritating. This is true no matter how I feel about the topic. However, general trends like these and the details about perceptions is quite interesting.

Scraping to fill the shelves of the Bush library Op Ed in Today’s Boston Globe.

* The Gaggle of Knitters Who Blog.

Hiz-aaa. How fun was my last post? I crack myself up pretty much every day. However, it’s nice to know that every once in awhile I can crack you all up too. The baby that will receive the outfit is the new babe of my neighbors. Just in case you’re wondering, this is what a Dominican/Parisian looks like:

The hair! The hair is almost enough to make you throw out your birth control and demand to be fertilized.

Almost.

Not quite though.

Here we have yet another finished knit. This has been here before, (the pictures do not work on this link. Picture a half finished baby knit sweater.) like other knits before it, it pissed me off and got stuck at the bottom of my bucket. Where I told it to fuck it. This sentence was served without a peep from the sweater. Which leads me to believe it was guilty of the accussed, either that or the medication is really working to lull those voices in my head.

What could a sweater this cute do to deserve an extended sentence at the bottom of my bucket? The armholes. I didn’t like the armholes. By the time I got over this truly horrifying crime the babe for which the seater was intended was clearly too large to wear it. So, I ripped a bit and blocked a lot and have gifted the sweater to a co-workers new baby.

I’m telling you. We are all babies all the time here.

It seems that the Daisy Cardi got her man (or woman…I haven’t the guts to check the sex of the cargo pants…)

(cue the music for Happy Together by The Turtles)

Imagine me

and you,

I do
I think about you day and night, it’s only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight

So happy together

If I should call you up, invest a dime
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together

I can’t see me lovin’ nobody but you

For all my life
When you’re with me, baby the skies’ll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be

The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

I can’t see me lovin’ nobody but you

For all my life
When you’re with me, baby the skies’ll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

So happy together
How is the weather
So happy together
We’re happy together
So happy together
Happy together
So happy together
So happy together (ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba)

*****

Cargo Pants:

Pattern: Cargo Pants from Knitty by Brynne Sutton

Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton

Mods to pattern: None. Although if I knit these again I would pick up stitches for the pocket rather than knit it separately. I would also make it a functioning pocket. Non-functioning pockets remind me of dickie’s and well, that is NEVER a good thing.

You all are giving the Husband a complex.

I came into the bathroom this morning and he said,

Robby: “Honey, is it okay if husbands comment on the blogs?”

Wendy: “I don’t think there is a rule against it if that’s what you mean. Why do you ask?”

R: “Because you usually get lots of comments on your posts and no one has commented since I left mine. Maybe I scared them off or something.”

W: “Honey, you didn’t scare them off. Sometimes people don’t have anything to say. That’s okay. And I love it when you comment. So, do as you please.”

He’s a keeper huh?

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize to absurdity of your life and/or circumstances? Well, maybe absurdity is not an appropriate term. Maybe the strange parallel universeishness. I was talking to a friend on the phone tonight and I said that if I wasn’t already married that I would marry my Tivo. Which is a true statement, I love my Tivo. However, at that moment it struck me. Hey, I’m married. Weird. Or, I’m grown up, weird.

***

I caught up with the knit parade. This item was a particularly bad one. I found it trying to seduce some knitted cargo pants to join it in an ensemble.

I’ll let you know tomorrow if it was successful in its pursuit.

Check out the cute buttons. I am totally a sucker for buttons. My grandfather used to work in a button factory. Growing up we always had a box of misc buttons to play in. Something must have imprinted somewhere.

The Hammer helped me pick these out – her color advice was dead on.

Pattern: Daisy from Knitty by the Rock Star.

Yarn: Butterfly Super 10 (When I say this in my head it turns into Superfly 10, which is way more fun.) (ps- have you seen this company’s sock yarn? the colors! oy!)

Color: No idea…maybe Tiger Lily

I did not modify the pattern. Except of course for the misplaced bottom button hole. But we’re ignoring that. Oh yes, we are.

As you can tell, I have been a busy, busy girl (ps- a $10 margarita is NEVER a bad idea). In addition, the hubbers and I also have some BIG LIFE STUFF happening in the real world (no I am not pregnant). As a result of inattention, it seems the knit parade took a detour and ended up on Spring Break in Miami. Word on the street is that the baby knits are getting down with Jack.

I have loved reading all of the handwriting on the web from the latest and greatest follow-the-leader. I am an extremely visual and tactical person (shocking, I know) and handwriting is one of the things I miss the most in our type-written age.

I was especially intrigued by Carole’s adaptation to the usual lazy fox. Here is what you get when you know me in real life:

And, if you knew me in real life and were walking into my office to see me this is what you would see today:

It’s totally not meant for me to post another Finished Object tonight. Picture issues.

I’ll post 2 tomorrow or maybe 3 Friday. I don’t know – we’re crazy over here at Bookish Girl, flying by the seat of our pants and all…

A few random thangs.

1 – Step Into My Thimble Heidi is running a sweatshop (and birthing babies) over on her blog. She is making the cutest itty bitty baby things. I couldn’t resist ordering this bib (picture taken from Heidi’s shop and saved on my server.)
I’m trying to figure out where it’s going to go….I’m thinking it may just stay with me. You know, for “some day”.

In addition to the bib Heidi unexpectedly sent me a book treat. An old used libary book that smelled perfect. Library, old, awesome. Anyway. After I smelled the book I tore in and started reading. I should finish it tonight. A great fast little mystery book, set in a library. Thank you Heidi! The title is Dewey Decimated by Charles A. Goodrum.

2 – I received a knitting catelog in the mail today. On one of the pages was this picture:
Ash by Rowen

Now, I am not one to make fun of others. But, seriously, are you kidding me?! This is High-larious (ps – 4/20 is tomorrow kids, a fabulous commentary on this notorious day is here) There are so many things wrong with this design. In fact, it has become my new threat to the husband. “Do what I ask or I’m going to knit you Ash.”

3 – A jury duty post is in the making. It was a long 6 day trial with many interesting aspects. Teaser: Which knit blogger got to hold an automatic 9mm handgun in one hand and a bag of 14.8 grams of crack cocaine in another? Hint: she likes to read.

We interrupt this finished knits parade to brag about the creativity and pure genius of my girl Stitchy. I tell you what – the worst thing about knowing these nuts in person is that you find out that THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN’T BLOG ABOUT. This is one of those things that has been chained to my leg. I found out about Debbie’s new book some time ago and I busted at the seams with Pride and Joy. But had to keep it in. Well, no more. It’s officially out….go give her some lovin’.

Alrighty then….

Entering day three of the finish the knits parade. I can see why I do not talk about this stuff too much, it bores me. Granted, I bore easily but this is ridonkulous.

A few months ago, December to be exact, I came across Cast on, Cast off Jenifer’s Tote-along. I didn’t join because really, what more reason NOT to knit something then because you are in a knit along. Truly the kiss of death. However, I was totally smashed in the head by this post and this post by Marina from “Have sticks, will travel.” These bags (the Vertical Stripe bag from Pick Up Sticks) are so cute! And they claim to stand up and they seemed to be thick and sturdy. And the color combinations are endless. And I had never felted. And I wondered what it would be like. And. And. And.

I filed this information away and a few weeks later I found myself in Lowell, MA at the Classic Elite whorehouse…I mean wearhouse. They carry Pick – Up Sticks patterns and Brown Sheep Nature Spun Yarns. I bought both and I knit the pattern during my Christmas vacation.

My goal was to knit one panel a day. There are 8 panels. The math minded among us will tell us that I finished – 8 days later – voila! 8 days of work and I had big old bag that I needed to felt before we left the ‘rents house for the holidays (we have a front-loader at home, they have a top-loader.)

Our plans were to drive back to the Bean on New Years Day. You know what that meant? As the ball dropped in NYC my bag swished and swashed in the tub of the washer. It was a family affair. Dad, the engineer, was particularly interested in the process. Mom, the quilter, made a lining of some fabric I had picked out during our trip to her local quilting store. Rob, the husband, drank a lot of beer and cheered us all on!

This Quilting store? The ladies there are crazy. They talked about how they were going to corrupt me into liking quilting, how they were super excited about an up-and-coming quilting retreat, how they were glad they had made so many good friends through quilting. Total dorks.

Pot? What? Kettle? Black? I can’t hear you…. I’m too busy making fun of myself.

On to the pictures…

I still have to sew in the lining. L-A-Z-Y. Of course, this little detail has kept me from actually using the damn thing.

The pattern is great, the bag is sturdy the construction is ingenious. I would definitely made it again but would probably double the length of the stripes, and therefore doubling the height of the bag.

Go forth and knit a bag now. Oh, and Cascade 220? On sale at WEBS for ass cheap (ass cheap = $4.79.)

I am so glad you all love Juli as much as I do. And for all of you who are scared to go back to projects after hating them… just do it. It takes one itty bitty step after another to reach the finish.

Anywhooo…
Here we are day 2 of the week and another finished object to show you.

Remember this hat?

Well, I decided to make one for my sister for Christmas. Problem is, I decided this about a week before Christmas.

Here I am knitting away on Christmas Eve at my parent’s house. I’m wearing the hat that I knit first for myself, no pattern just made it up, and am knitting the one for Margaret. How meta.

She was sitting next to me as I knit. When I finished she said, “Oh, that’s cute, who is it for?” I said “you, here ya go!”

Great sister, huh?

Same yarn, same pattern…she has the EXACT same size head as I do, which is somewhere around huge and ginormous. This realization led to a frantic measuring of all the heads in my family. Cousins, uncles, aunts. We all have freakishly big heads.

All the better to out thunk you my friend.