I feel a good rant coming on….

I really really really REALLY HATE teenage girls.

I just found out my darling daughter not only rented this pay per view last week during school vacation.

But also tapped my AMEX for these!

 

I kid you not – there are men’s size 9 so if you are interested make me an offer – otherwise they go up on ebay this week.  Barely worn.  Comes with teenage daughter cheap.

 

 

We came, we saw, we conquered

Well I finished my olympic project on time.  I learned how to read a chart finally! So my goal was met.

Oh and Happy Mardi Gras to all.

 

 

 

Go for the gold! Yahoo, and a special thanks to the Yarn Harlot for making us take up the challege and stretch our creativity to boldly knit what we have not knit before.

Muppet’s Personality Test

You Are Fozzie Bear

“Wocka! Wocka!” You’re the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn’t always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

not what I expected LOL but I guess I am warm a ‘fozzie’! Thanks for the laugh Dave

Llama Down

The llama down that I purchased at spa from West Mountain Farms is just delicious to spin.  Since it was so damn cold this weekend I stayed in most of it and got a bobbin and a bit spun.  It is so easy to spin and so soft, it’s amazing stuff.  As I said before it’s almost like cashmere.

CRS syndrome

You know CRS, as in, Can’t Remember Shit.  Sometimes I just am amazed at my stupidity.

I started knitting this with my merino handspun and it’s going to be spectacular.  Of course the pattern calls for some other yarn (20 skeins @ approx. 73 yds per skein)  Who buys this stuff!?  Anyway 73 X 20 = 1460, DUH! I only have 900 yards of handspun merino – why did I think it was only 840 yds?  I don’t know, anyway I was at a cross roads last night – do I frog and do something else with my handspun (but I REALLY like this pattern).  Do I do this pattern is something else (purchased yarn)?  But it’s really looking spectacular in my handspun, even though I kind of wish it was in a different color; which is also why am was/am considering dying the entire garment after it’s done.  And it’s probably a good thing I didn’t just dye the skeins I had because it would be impossible to reproduce it later.

So what’s a girl to do? Decisions, decisions….

Oh hell, I just ordered another bunch o’ merino 64 and it’s back to the spinning wheel.

 

Alternate Olympic challenge is fini!

And as soon as my daughter finds the digital camera, I will post pictures.  Faina’s scarf was a bit daunting when I first looked at the lace pattern with 422 rows (not including the repeats) but once I got the rhythm it worked up fairly quickly.  I really like working with Frog Tree Alpaca, it’s reasonably priced (especially when you get it 35% off!) and it comes in very pretty colors (in this case a deep plum).

I also finished spinning the rest of the Merino 64, it’s been skeined and is now drying in the shower setting the twist so to speak.  I got another 500+ yards which technically should be enough to do the Yoga Wrap (pattern #16) in the most recent Vogue Knitting Mag.

So while I was watching the Olympics last night (woman’s bobsledding and figure skating) the Llama Down that I got at Spa was calling me.  So I decided to take it for a little ’spin’ to see how it would do.  OHMYGAWD this stuff is nice and I only have 6 oz.  It spins beautifully and into a very fine single.  I think I need much more of this stuff.  On second thought I probably should be telling you it’s horrible, full of guard hairs, not soft at all and keep it all for myself.  This is almost as soft as cashmere and we’ve already established my problem love of this luxury fiber.

I also wanted to ball up the first skein of my handspun merino and cast on the wrap but it was so hard to stop spinning this Llama down.  I had to make myself stop.

I got the ball wound and managed to cast-on and knit a few rows (I don’t need no stinkin’ swatch) and this is going to be just beautiful! By now it’s way past my bedtime, even the Olympics are done for the day.  So it was off to bed, tomorrow is another day.

Spa 2006 Trip Report

The drive up Friday was kind of scary – you know it’s blustery when the 18-wheeler in front of you starts swaying.  But we finally made it up there around 9:00pm.  As I walked in to check-in at the front desk, I saw spinners and knitters all around the lobby.  Between that and the warm chocolate chip cookies the person at the desk handed me after checking in I knew I was in a very special place.  (I will also mention that the Doubletree/Hilton beds were the most comfortable hotel beds I have ever slept in, so I will always look for a Doubletree Inn from now on!)

Darling Daughter (DD) and I managed to grab one of the big luggage racks and got everything up to the room in one trip.  You cannot begin to believe just how cold it was in Portland, Maine this weekend, not to mention all the stuff I had brought.  As one person put it – Hannibal crossed the alps with less stuff and he had elephants!

Once we got up to our room and settled in, we decided to just get into our jammies, jump into our beds and watch movies/tv.  This way we’ll be all nice and rested before joining the throngs of “fiber freaks” in the morning.

In the AM Grace did get up and came down to join me for the breakfast buffet, then after visiting the front desk to get a wireless converter for her, she went back to the room and plugged in, letting me enjoy the other “fiber freaks” in peace.  Some where between breakfast and heading off she pointed out that ‘my friend’ the Yarn Harlot was here.  Well technically we aren’t REALLY friends, but she is a kindred spirit.  And how exciting that our non-group NETA was cool enough for the Yarn Harlot to attend?  More on that later…

I found a lovely spot in the Gallery room to set-up my wheel.  But couldn’t sit down to spin quite yet, there were vendors to see!   Hmmm 9:30, just enough time to do a quick spin around the vendor room before my welcome table duty from 10 – noon.

I barely got past the first table – who am I kidding.  Pam from the Fiber Studio – had brought up this gorgeous cashmere in a very yummy colorway – it has olive greens, dusky purples, really nice.  (I found out later that my sister had tipped her off to bring it, just because I was coming)  So ok, I may have a cashmere problem.  I also bought a small Schacht hand spindle for my daughter who had just called to look for me.  Then I was off do my duty at the welcome table, leaving my daughter with $20 to buy herself some lovely fiber from Linda at Grafton Fibers.  Then she came out to join us at the table.  June (also working the table with me) taught DD how to spindle and she took to it right away.  I guess this means I’ll have to start locking up my fiber stash.

After our duty was done, we grabbed a sandwich for lunch and oh I forgot to mention that DD had been bitchn’ at me the whole time that the wireless converter wasn’t working because it needed a ‘code’, and for some reason she was powerless to walk to the front desk and ASK SOMEONE!  But by now I’m in front of my wheel and the frenzy is picking up so I figured if she wanted it to work bad enough she could drag her ass over to the front desk and open her mouth and make English sounding words come out well enough.  So I ignored her…   She finally left and went to the desk and got her issue resolved, but only after making my life painful for what seemed like an eternity. 

NOTE TO SELF! Remind the friend who called me Friday night just as I’m crossing the Pascataway Bridge into Maine, saying “gee if I wanted to I could leave DD at her house for the weekend if it wasn’t too late…” that she’s on for next year, because I am coming to this shindig again but I’m NOT bringing kid! 

After she finally went back to the room, wireless thing in hand, I just had to go back to the vendor area and shop until I was calmed down.  I found another skein of cashmere (hand spun this time) it’s light as a feather.  I also got another bat the kid had begged for from Indigo Moon Farm.  I love their Merino, alpaca, silk blends,  I just wasn’t crazy about the Rainbow Bright colors, but it’s what DD wanted for socks.  I also bought a really nice spindle for me too.  I’m determined to learn how to do this so I can do some compact spinning anywhere.  Finally after blowing some money I’m finally calmed back down.  Ah the powers of shopping.

Back to spinning on my wheel where I’m reaching nirvana, finding my bliss, spinning and chatting with new friends about spinning and knitting.  I’m still working on that last of the merino, btw.  It just goes on and on and on, and I’m still not done! Only 2 more ounces to go!  Meanwhile more and more people are coming and soon the room is packed with spinners and knitters of every description.  I met some really nice ladies from the MetroWest SnB – hi girls! loved your shawls!

I think I got about 1.5 hours, before DD was back WITH the PC working and just HAD to sit next to me, and PLAY GOTHIC MUSIC just loud enough to be annoying.  I ignored her.

I watched over the shoulder of someone while Claudia gave a little ‘thing’ on free-form knitting – I LOVE HER STUFF and it’s even nicer in real life.  The photos just do not do it justice.

Next thing I know it’s 6:00pm and time for the fashion show!  What an amazingly group of talented people!  I cannot describe many of the items and do them any justice.  But there was some really nice stuff.

Then surprise! The Yarn Harlot was introduced and she spoke for about 15-20 minutes.  She is quite the hoot and we thoroughly enjoyed her.  But she did this ‘thing’ about knitting dropping your cool quotient as well as you IQ level considerable, so just how cool in this NETA I guess begs to be asked?

For me it was really cool and I wish I had come earlier and of course, dropped DD off at the first rest stop.

Sunday came way to fast, but I had one last chance to blow some dough so I got some beautiful Llama Down from West Mountain Farm in this lovely light silvery grey.  It feels just like cashmere.  OK I’m officially a cashmere-ho.  But it there anything else this soft?

We finally check out and left right at noon.  MAN WAS IT COLD! But we did get the car packet and we were home by 2pm.  The cats were a bit miffed that they hadn’t had any TLC or canned food for almost 48 hours.  But they quickly got over it. 

This annual fiber get away is now a must and it permanently being added to my calendar, and next year… SANS kid!

 

The bags are packed…

as well as the bin of yarn and fiber and I’m ready to go!  NETA SPA 2006, in Portland, ME  I just hope there is enough room in the car to bring back all the stuff I want to buy! LOL!

It doesn’t matter that I’ve torn a muscle under my left breast and can barely breathe, or that I’m taking my surly teenage daughter or that the temperature outside will be subzero with a nasty windchill, I AM going to have a wonderful weekend.

I’ve got my Advil for the pain, my laptop to amuse the daughter, and there is a hot tub at the hotel that I don’t plan to get out of except to eat, spin and knit.

I picked up the new Vogue Knitting Mag last night, and I think I found the perfect project for my handspun Merino   Wadda think?

 

 

 

 

I blocked my Faina’s scarf yesterday, all that is left is the fringe and weaving in the ends and it’s done.  Maybe I’ll show it off in the fashion shop Saturday Night?

Michelle Kwan of the Knitting Olympics

Well not really, I’m not dropping out.  I just haven’t been able to find my needles to start the freakin’ hats.   It’s a conspiracy l’m sure.

But not to be left completely out in the cold, and needing to knit something.  I’m working on Faina’s Scarf.  I’m into the forth repeat of the middle section and soon to be coming down the stretch. 

I haven’t totally given up on finding the hat knitting needles either.

So other than that, the weekend went like this.

Starting Friday night I got home late, after pickup up my daughter from music lessons and transporting her to a teen social event.  As I’m checking my home voice mails there is one from the local library. (I’m under the assumption that daughter returned all the outstanding books, CDs, and DVDs AND paid her fines a month ago) saying that they were going to send a warrant officer to my house to collect the money owed for items NOT returned.

Upon questioning my daughter upon her return it is finally revealed that she had recieve a letter from the library weeks ago saying she owed $166 + for the above mentioned items.  When asked what her plan was to to deal with this, it was something hazy about paying it off before I found out about it, when in fact – she is still paying off other debts with her measely allowance and whatever she does get she spends like it’s burning a hole in her pocket.  So I asked how the plan was working for her so far?  Not so good I guess.

So after searching (and tearing up most of the livingroom) looking for the 6 CDs and one book, only 4 CDs were recovered, unfortunately one had no case or cover material so it apparently doesn’t count.  So off to the library we go.  Now I have to say as a parent, I’m a bit miffed that the library has issued this irresponsible child a card without my expressed permission in the first place, since as the parent I am ultimately responsible for all debts incurred by previously mentioned irresponsible child.  I first ask that her library borrowing privledges first be revoked until she is in a position of being at least responsible for her own debts.  Maybe by then we can reinstate debtor prisons?

Having returned ’some’ of the outstanding items and a promise to purchase the others,  I pay off the $45 in late fees and head off to the local Strawberries, where of course NONE of the missing CDs are found in the used section.  So $60 later, we drop off the newly acquired CDs to the library before closing with the promise of continuing the search for the missing book.

Then it snowed….  and I mean really snowed…  all day for a total of 18 inches.

Need I say more.

Am I the coolest Mom in the world or just insane?

For days my darling daughter has been campaigning bugging me to do this.  So last night I left work early, drove her into Arlington and stood in the freezing cold for over two and a half hours.  We were about 5th in line.  Fortunately another one of her friends and her mom were there to share the pain experience and even more importantly there was a Starbucks around the corner so we could huddle around cups of hot coffee.

DD has been a Dresden Dolls fan for years, so how could I say no?

Finally they opened the doors to the Regent Theater letting only a few in at a time, then we went down and were placed in various seats in the theater.  I was put in the second row (which turned out to be the front row in the video) sitting next to Mary (the U of Maine student who had also stood and froze with us in line). Grace was immediately told that “she was exactly what they were looking for” so she was seated just behind me.

They then spent another 45 minutes to an hour setting up the shot that scanned the audience in the theater while we the audience sang our Ah-h-h-h’s to the tape of the new song “Sing” and stopping clearly focused on Grace front and center

After two takes we were outta there and home by 10:25pm

Oh and BTW, the video for “Sing” will be out sometime in April.