Seen on Haight St outside the music shop, playing her adorable little heart out and smiling like a champ:
Yes, that is a Viking helmet. And yes, she was playing the accordion (and well!).
While balancing on a roller-board-thing.
That there is pure entertainment, I tell you what. I gave her a buck.
Only in this town.....
I had big plans to upload a whole mess of pictures today, and to post them (here and elsewhere) and email some to people.
But first, I wanted to try knitting a toe-up sock, which also happens to be my first adult sock.
And now, well, it's quarter to 9, and I just put it down.
Dang, why didn't anyone tell me this was so much fun??
Oh wait. EVERYONE told me sock knitting was fun. My bad.
Anyway, here's a pretty picture to look at for now:
Last Sunday, for no actual discernible reason, I decided I absolutely MUST catalog my stash. RIGHT NOW.
So out it all came, into a big mound next to the couch. The Husband seemed a bit...startled by the magnitude of it. Not that I have kept any of my purchases secret, mind. In fact, he was present for much of the shopping, and even bought some of it for me. But seeing it all in one place was, admittedly, overwhelming.
And no, I didn't have the forethought to take a picture. Bad bloglady. Let's just say that I surely have less yarn than some, but quite a lot more than someone who has only been knitting obsessively seriously has a right to.
And so I got to work, entering all complete skeins or balls of yarn onto a spreadsheet, including info on the brand, yarn type, fiber content, yardage, colour, and source. The biggest surprise for me? That I actually remembered where I bought every bit! Maybe I have lost fewer brain cells to alcohol age than I thought....
The total counts: 137 untouched skeins, for a total of 11,461 yards. This did not include partial skeins or any being used in a current WIP (documentation of which will be posted tomorrow).
If that doesn't seem like much, remember that I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with 2 closets. I think a yarn diet is in order. Especially given that I was suddenly seized with the ardent desire to go to Hawaii again, and soon (this may have been influenced by my recent reading of Jon's Strangers in Paradise trades)(you should also read them, as they are Good).
Once I had finished the yarn, I decided to update the pre-existing needle inventory spreadsheet with some new acquisitions. In doing so, I discovered something interesting: I have at least one circular needle in every US size except 5. Guess which size I need to finish up the sweater I am making for the Hubby? OY.
So, to summarize: I have a lot of yarn. I want to go to Hawaii. Ergo, I must Not Buy More Yarn.
We'll see how long this new resolve of mine lasts.....
And now, a random photo:
Recently shorn alpaca at the SF Zoo
Would you look at that mug? Adorable, no?
Last fall, I was gifted with a quite generous virtual gift certificate from Yarnmarket. I browsed around for a while, and came across quite the bargain: Cherry Tree Hill Potluck Bulky! 1206 yds should be plenty to make a sweater, right?
Oh, I think so.
Say....isn't that a bit large a box for just yarn?
Ah. Maybe not.
The yarn chilled in the stash for a bit, then come New Year's I was inspired to get rolling. On Jan 1st I cast on for the "Must-Have Cardigan" from the book Hip to Knit (which is a probably meant for teenagers, but I am immature so, like, whatever). My only modification was to go up 2 needle sizes, which is not unusual for me.
About 3 months later, I had this:
The picture is wretched, the sleeves a bit too long, the neck is wonky, and I didn't alternate skeins and you can tell.
I love it . LOVE. IT.
It's warm and fuzzy-smooth and beautiful colours and the yarn was a dream to work with and the seaming was pretty good and the buttons (not pictured) are lovely and IT IS MINE.
And will there be a next sweater? Wait and see!
The last looks especially appealling right now....
Free-range yarn, Francisco St between Taylor and Mason, April 2007.
Why? Wherefore? How? None can say.
I know, I know. I haven't updated this blog in, like....forever.
What I need to do at this point is set myself a damn schedule, and stick to it.
So, it is resolved:
And now, for today's pictorial offering:
Sweet Peas at the Half Moon Bay flower market. Click for bigger.
*Please note that the exception to this rule is any kind of online forum, especially one related to any popular fandom. These should be avoided like the proverbial plague.
Teh Husband and I just got back from a few days traveling the Central Coast area of California. This was Jon's first visit to the area ever and my first in 20 years (how did I get old enough to be able to say that???), and it was a great couple of days. Hearst Castle was as over-the-top as I remembered, although admittedly my clearest memory from my youthful visit was of the indoor pool. I really, *really* want that pool. Please? I'll be good.....
Soooo shiny....poing......
Then it was on to Carmel, where we stayed 2 nights at this lovely inn. We pretty much took it easy, bumming around the inn and the town, and also spent some time at the terrific local aquarium. Strangely, I ate no seafood while staying 2 blocks from the sea, but while at Jack London's I did partake of an excellent chicken-fried steak which, to paraphrase Teh Husband, was not just a meal, but a commitment
Oh, and of course I had to stop by the the LYS! And if Jon tells you I dragged him there the minute we hit town, he's a liar! I waited at LEAST 45 minutes, which I think was pretty restrained considering that I was in danger of running out of travel yarn. Plus, I needed to support the local businesspeople, right? Of course I'm right! Anyway, the shop is a bit small but very cute, with a nice selection of popular yarn brands at fairly standard prices. The yarn is mostly arranged by colour, which looks gorgeous; a few types of yarn, like sock and baby yarns, were separated. I picked up two things: a skein of Noro Iro, to make a scarf to replace my much-mourned lost one:
Colours are much richer than they appear here, but it was raining, so whatever. Minutes after this picture was taken, the yarn was wound into a ball using the brash bedstead as a swift!
And some SWTC Tofutsies sock yarn, which is a fascinating blend of wool, cotton, soysilk, and chitin (from shrimp and crab shells). It smells really nifty and a little oceany!
Colour is pretty close on this one, a nice
raspberry combo.
I actually taught the woman in the shop how to pronounce "chitin" properly. Geek powers, activate!
On the way home yesterday we stopped of at Stitches West, since, y'know, it was on the way (uh huh, suuuuuure)(what? it was!). While there I, um, may have had one of those accidents you hear about where you trip and fall and swipe your credit card on the way down? Yeah, it was like that. There was just SO MUCH yarn and fiber and wheels and spindles and books and people and beautiful things and is that Jane Sowerby? and ooo shiny poing! And I think I got a touch overwhelmed by all the sensory input. I do know that I completely forgot to eat lunch, other than a (quite good, especially for a convention center) iced latte, and that it was a good thing that Jon had a book......I did (mostly) stick to my resolve to buy only things that I normally cannot get in person; the problem was that most of the items being sold fit into that category!!
I must say, I am not sorry I did not sign up for any classes--they were being held in curtained-off areas to one side of to market hall (at least the classes I saw were), and it seemed an awfully LOUD environment. I did peek in to a couple, and the instructors were doing their best, but the environment did seem conducive to learning too much.
The purchases shall be displayed in the fullness of time (ie tomorrow), but for now here's one of my favorite images from Carmel:
1. After seeing me use a spindle one time, and observing my obsessive perusal of Spin-off, Spin to Knit, and various fiber arts websites, he proclaimed that he knew what he HAD to get me for Christmas. Namely, this:
An Ashford Kiwi, from This vendor he found on eBay. Got a good price, free shipping, and free fiber, too! And he let me put it together myself, squee!!! (NOTE: this is not a joke. I am the Handy member of this partnership, and I love building stuff when given the chance).
2. As if purchasing me what a friend termed "furniture in support of your hobby" were not sufficient, on the Saturday before Christmas he proclaimed that he needed to get me some "stocking stuffers", and asked what I would like. As it happened, the Yarn Harlot had that day posted some gift suggestions for knitters, and I read out the beginning part of the post to him (I had been reading when he asked, by pure happenstance). He then proceeded to the nearest yarn store and had the staff help him pick out this:
(click for bigger)
That's 4 balls of Artfibers' Valparaiso, a baby alpaca/merino blend that the store staff assured him would make some lovely warm socks (apparently he said to them, "Give me something for my wife! She is learning to make socks, and has very cold feet!")(I do, too.....)
3. And as if that weren't enough, he threw in a couple more things for good measure, one of which was even non-fiber-arts-related:
<--Mineral, not animal Knitting related, and also useful! -->
4. Before he had even purchased the wheel for me, he had mentioned how, when looking for our next apartment, he would need to take into account the need for room to store my COLLECTION of wheels. As in multiple. >1. Yes, he has already deduced that this is merely a Gateway Wheel, and that it will one day have friends coming to join it.
No, you can't have him. And no, no brothers. (3 sisters, though, and 2 are single....)
5. Not only is he fabulous at the fiber-related gifting, but it his family got into the act too!
I got a generous Yarnmarket GC from one of his sisters for my birthday, with which I purchased the gorgeous Cherry Tree Hill Potluck Bulky that is on it's way to becoming my first completed sweater (oh, BTW, making a sweater, more on that later). Then for Christmas, they really came through in a big way:
<--From my lovely SIL K., a swift. No more using the big Ikea throw pillow or my knees a la Magyver!
And from my darling MIL, who completely outdid herself, 4 skeins of deliciously soft sportweight alpaca, purchased from her local alpaca farm. This stuff is quite, quite gorgeous, and I think the green at least wants to be a shawl.
Added to that, all family members who have received handknits from moi, including the cat and dog, have been quite flatteringly appreciative. Plus since they all live in New England they actually NEED lots of warm woolies, unlike myself in SF and my Baton Rouge-dwelling parents.
And the extra credit bonus reason:
When I mentioned that Stitches West was happening this weekend, and that it was kinda-sorta on the way back from the area we had planned to visit on our mini-vacation this week, he bought tickets for both of us with zero comment/complaint. Because a real man has NO problem handling this sort of thing. Hell, when we went to Webs last fall at one point he actually questioned why I was getting so little.
Now that, my friends, is an awesome Knitting Hubby. And he's mine all mine. :-)
But not one from me this time!
As of 5:30 PM PST, my husband has FINISHED his latest novel!!! Woot!!
Not only has he been working on this one for a while (since before we got married, actually), but this is the first major thing he has finished since we have been together. So, a big deal!
In case anyone is interested, it's a semi-comic vampire novel set in around around Boston (Teh Hubby's old stomping ground), and it incorporates a lot of goth/indie rock elements. I have only read the first chapter and some excerpts so far; in fact, I did the first edit for him before he submitted it to the World SF/Fantasy Convention writers' workshop last summer. It's actually not the sort of thing I read at all, but I liked it!
Tomorrow, we edit, but for tonight there is wine, and song! And woman, if you count me.
Happy new year, all!
