It's "Lame Title" Tuesday!

First Things First: THANK YOU ALL for the wonderful Birthday wishes and new definitions of Old. You all rock my little world.

I am bereft of creativity today, having slept in far too late on a workday.

You know that fluttery-jittery feeling when you wake up from fitful sleep too fast? It reminds me of college hangovers. Somehow back then I could drink ridiculous amounts of cheap beer and then pop awake 4 hours later for class—the coffee and cigarettes only accentuating the shaky hands and too-blinky eyes. (Now, I have a single glass of wine and waking me up is like bringing me out of a coma, but that's neither here nor there.)

Anyway, I am all shaky feeling and am hoping that it is not some harbinger of flu-to-come. After all, I gotta run/walk this Saturday!

This will be my last pitch for pledges, but if you can contribute to the National Race for the Cure, know that even $5 is a big help. All of the women in my immediate circle have been spared by this terrible disease, but when I called my mom to tell her about the race, she told me that the mother of one of my cousins had just passed away after a long fight with breast cancer. So, I will be racing in memory of Pong Sun (Judy to her friends) on behalf of her daughter, Lene.

I am trying really hard not to be too down today, but the universe is conspiring against me. In retaliation,remembrancee of gifts past (as in this past weekend!):

First, books! We at small hands loooooovvvvve books!


(From Sweet Baboo, a Debbie Bliss and the SUPER CUTE "That Darn Yarn!"; and from Deb, a fellow RAOK-er, a fantastic Anna Zilboorg)

Next the S.E.X. I grabbed a few orphans from the stash and took them to my Very Favorite LYS (Woolwinders) to look for inspiration:


(The brighter pink is Reynold's Gypsy from the stash...Thee lovely shiny light pink is the newly acquired Dale Sisik... This is going to be a little purse. I don't carry little purses, but I felt a strange compulsion to knit this, so it will likely become a gift.)


(The two other Gypsy hanks and the new Debbie Bliss Cathay in a lovely rose. I have a sideways lacey scarf pattern that I am thinking about for these. I think they would look great all striped up.)


(Click for the full monty. Thevariegatedd blue is Brooks Fiber Duet from MDS&W, and I have collected some new Rowan Kidsilk in blue and Blue Sky Alpaca in charcoal and light gray to knit up with it. I am thinking another sideways knit, but larger, and wrap-ier, and so much cuddlier! I want to design something of my own for this, something soft and drapey but still pretty. I have been daydreaming about it since Saturday.

Now, I should probably go have lunch and then... work or something. Tomorrow: WIP progress and vacation plans.

Still Crazy...

...After all these years.



What was "old" when you were in high school? For my girlfriends and I it was 32. The thirty-two year olds were the epitome of lame: too old to be hip and too young to be wise. At 17 I honestly didn't know if I would ever actually be 32. And now, sigh. The kids are listening to crazy music (what the hell is a "holla back girl" ??) and I am no closer to the meaning of life today than I was yesterday.

Don't get me wrong. I am not all bummed out to be 32 all-of-a-sudden, just reflective. And tired. So, stay tuned: Birthday S.E.X., new projects, and summer vacations later... Not to mention awesome pressies! Right now its way past my old-lady-bedtime.

Meme-ville

I am heading over to my favorite LYS for a little birthday retail therapy. In the meantime, I saw this over at Kay and Ann's and loved it...

The place I grew up:


City of Roses... PDX... Seattle's cuter little sister.

The place I live now:


Washington, DC suburbs. At least I am right on the Red Line.

My name:


gooooaaaaallllll

My grandmothers' names:


(This is a Cisthene juanita moth)


Although my grandma never went in much for fishin'

My favorite food:


Yes. Even though it gives me migraines sometimes.

My favorite drink:


I know, totally bo-o-ring... I know you were hoping for:



My favorite song:


(One of at least a dozen...)

My favorite smell:


Could also double as fave drink... mmm!

...and since I am not a shoe person,
My favorite earrings:


Simple, graceful, and go with everything.

Late Breaking News (Link updated)

Remember how I said I was participating in the National Race for the Cure, but that owing to an assbackward administrative decision I wouldn't be able to collect pledges online?

Well, thanks to bitching and moaning, I now have a Race page! (Actually, I don't know what caused the sudden change. I do know that when I called to "express my displeasure," the wonderful woman I spoke to said that a lot of other folks were equally inconvenienced.)

Edited: Sorry for the confusion!
Here is the link to my page: Chelsea F-B's personal pledge page

SO... If you would like to support my efforts to wipe out Breast Cancer (and walk 5k in the process) please follow the above link to pledge online. Your donation is tax deductible, and good for breasts the world over. (And, please remember, if I cross a "prize threshold" all who donate will be in the hat for said prize.)

Unfortunately, that is all the news that's fit to print. I had a whirlwind trip that left me exhausted and behind on my school work. Some knitting occurred. More to follow.

Latest post ever

Taking a wee business trip in the morning... so I will be out until Friday sometime.

Thank you all who wished me better today than yesterday: it worked! Today was much better. (And while I whine about our flat tires, at least 24 other cars got hit in my complex on the same night, and some got their windshields busted in - so I really should be glad it was just two tires.)

To prove I really do knit around here, I give you this:


(This one's for Laurie, who also is a mad-crazy subway knitter.)

And here they are finito:


(These will be gifted to my wonderful massage therapist. She lives in Texas, so it's really good I got these things done now. (Slacker.))

Specs:
Lion Brand Magic Stripes in Blue and Brown and Black
Size 2 addi circs
Generic cuff down with a heel flap ('cause I hadn't done one of those in FOREVER and I am all about staying flexible)
They are a bit loose. I am hoping a good bath will help.

This week...

...Is full of stuff that will keep me away from a) my computer; and b) my knitting.

I finished my little black and blue socks over the weekend, but a parade of crap this morning kept me far too stressed out to take pics (slashed tires, screw up by the cab dispatcher, late to a certification class, etc etc). Only to come home to an apartment sans electricity. Certainly not a tragic day, by any means. But you know how some days you just wanna scream out at the ether, "FINE! I will go back to bed, already!"? That was today.

But, Saturday, on the other hand was supa-sweet. So it looks like this week will start out with a bit more distraction.

I didn't want to jinx it by talking about it, but I had a horseback ride scheduled for Saturday, and it was actually NOT rained out!

Here we are saddling up:



The back field:



Hitting the trail:



The scenic ridge...



My trusty steed, Mosby:


(I swear, he was smiling right before I took the picture...)

I cannot recommend the trail leaders at Graves Mountain enough. They were wonderful. And props to the excellent peeps over at Center Hiking Club, for organizing the ride.

TGIFPW!

Thank God It's Flower Picture Week!

Last night I came home and passed out with a terrible migraine, so I did not get a chance to track down all of the amazing flower pics out there. But there are some awesome ones out there!

It really makes me happy that so many knitbloggers joined in the fun. Today is a dreary rainy day in DC, but I know I am only a few clicks away from a gorgeous spring-y daydream. Thank you, everyone!

And, to close out my FPW (though I strongly encourage the weekend posters to keep it up through Sunday-always nice to have something other than work to deal with on Monday!) I did get a few on my sojourn yesterday:

Only two days left...

...Of Flower Pic Week! And thanks to a certain someone throwing some dear violets my way, the flowers are flooding the knit-waves!

This post is a test of the timed-blog-entry-system.

I hope I hope I hope that it is showing up on Thursday. If so, then hi! It's Thursday and I am away from my desk doing all manner of good deeds with my coworkers. If you are catching this post in the a.m., we are prepping good eats in a local soup kitchen, in the afternoon, sorting groceries at a food bank. For dinner, we are going all posh (grubby though we will be). My job rocks (I haven't been able to say that since college)!

Anyway, I will try to find all the flowers tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, keep 'em coming!

THURSDAY



KNITTING NON-NEWS
So, the real reason for this distracting flower-full week is that this is what I have been knitting:



Wait, can't you see it? There amidst the full niddy (!!), the boringtextbook (technical editing may be a lot of things, but "intriguing" ain't one of 'em), and the littlest peek of a secret hooking project? C'mon! The big black blobs! See them now?

Yeah. So which would you rather see, six more inches of black stockinette or bleeding hearts and roses and lilies and violets? If you said "MORE FLOWERS!!!" then we are on the Same Page.

It isn't just me...

Other people do this, right?

Here is my workspace:



[Yes it looks dark, and it is a bit, but not as bad as the pic makes it seem. Also, yes, it is really cluttered. Welcome to every environment with which I come into contact. But I know where everything is.]

But look a little closer...


(Next to the computer, the Sirenetta Shell - No, I do not knit for a living, though some co-workers may believe I do.)


(In my lower left drawer: some emergency cashmere, an extra set of needles, and some stitch holders.)

But the absolute worst, is what is under the desk. In that box is the rest of the cotton for the shell... And some Gigi that I bought on impulse and for which I currently have no plans. That's right, my stash has reached all the way to my office.

I'm not the only one with a work stash, am I?

And NO! I did not forget the lovely lovely flowers!
But before you look at my stuff, take a gander at these beautiful pics: Marina, Cara, Jenna, Eyeleen, La (flowers in vases totally count), and Ann. If there are more out there, let me know!

WEDNESDAY



This orchid is on my boss' desk. I love it, and wish I had the patience for orchids.



This cascade grows on some trees on my walk home. I don' t know what it is, but it smells wonderful. Anyone have any idea?

More Flowers and also Some Spinning!

Some excellent flowers out there... Check out Cara's faboo pics (which is better, yesterday's or today's? I can't decide, they both rock). And our globetrotter, Paula, posted some Scottish lovelies from her recent trip.

To play along during Flower Pic Week (FPW© - all rights reserved), all you have to do is to interpret "Flowers" as you see fit, then show us the picture(s)! You do not have to post a pic every day. One or a dozen, it is all ok during FPW!

TUESDAY




It is definitely pansy season here in DC.

SPINNING
Once upon a time I went to Rhinebeck and got a whole bunch of spinning paraphernalia. But I couldn't figure out how to prevent slubs and I couldn't figure out how to join the roving back up when it broke. So I stuffed all of the roving and the spindles away and didn't drag them out again until May 7th.

I spent my morning pre-MDS&W spinning a bit. I packed my spindle and a wee bit of roving into my bag to serve as a non-shopping aide as in "see, you already have a spindle Right Here. And you don't need more roving, 'cause you can't spin up what you have." Which, by the way, totally worked.

But then all the beautiful roving and homespun at the fest made me want to spin better faster more!

Enter D.J. and Ann from NoMoCo Stitch n' Bitch! They helped me with both problems, and by last Saturday, the little half spindle of wobbly fiber had become this:


(One ounce down, one to go)

I was totally on a roll... So by Sunday morning I had this:



By Lunchtime? Click here.

That's yarn, folks. And I made it. How cool is that?

Some opportunities I have for improvement:

• I am a parker and drafter all the way. I tried to stand up and actually "drop" spindle with some scrap roving and I really suck at that. I do more dropping than spindling.
• Still not so great at keeping out the slubs (but I am better at catching and remediating them quickly).
• When should I "set the twist"? Before I ply, or after? (Anyone care to guess which method Ms. Impatient chose?)
• I think my plying technique leaves a bit to be desired. Anyone have any tips they would like to share? How do you set up your space, prepare your fiber, do you use any tools? I kept the two little balls in the bowls and just pulled from them... Too low tech?

Tomorrow... Orchids and work-stash (you all have that, right? Not just me?)

Seeing Pink

Flower Picture Week
Has anyone posted flower pics yet? This week is FLOWER PICTURE WEEK! Show us the May Flowers wherever you are...

MONDAY

Let me know if you have a flower up, so I can link ya.

Race For the Cure Update
Next, for anyone who wanted to sponsor me in the National Race for the Cure, I have some bad news. The asshats (thanks Jen and La, for my favorite new word) over in marketing decided to use a feature called "team bundling" when they registered us... The gist of it is, I am merely "team member X" and you cannot pledge on my behalf online.

HOWEVER. I can accept good old-fashioned pledges.

• If you can mail a check by May 25th to the Foundation, email me and we can swap pertinent information.
• If enough folks pledge by mail that I qualify for a prize (scroll down to see them), then all pledgers will be in the hat for said prize.
• If anyone is willing to do this, they will each get a token of my appreciation by mail after the race.
• If you are interested, write to me at kali{at}bgb{dot}com

AND STILL. You can still give a generic donation here. I talked with the folks at the Komen foundation about the drag that is "bundling," and they said I was not alone in my frustration. They will be modifying the team-build function for next year so that all members have online pledge pages.

Isn't this a KNITblog?
The secret continues... And it looks [whispered insinuatingly] scandalous.



Have I turned to a life of shameless hooking to support my fiber habit? What does FMF think of all this? Inquiring minds might be mildly curious!

Tomorrow: What happened during "crazymad spinning weekend."

You spin me right round, baby right round

Like a record baby, right, right, round, round!

I had a great time at the S'n'B in N. Montgomery County... Though they do meet waaayyy out there. (Which makes sense, because N. Montgomery County is so huge it actually reaches through PA and into NY a bit.) But I digress.

Thanks very much to the wonderful women at Panera last night, I went from this:

To this:


[Click to enbiggen]

Woohoo!

(In the background you can see my current SIP)

This weekend promises to include a lil' more spinning, some secret stuff, work on the shawl or socks or sweater (whichever squeaks the loudest), and a whole lotta reading for school.

But! Spring is so pretty and flower-ful in Maryland, I also hope to snap some pics along the way. I know there are a few folks out there reading this who live in lovely flower climes... How about we make next week "Post a flower picture" week? Anyone else want to see it?

Back to the grind

So... I'm working on some socks [sigh]... And the lotus shawl is up to row 115 or something [pout]. I really need to finish my oat couture sweater so I can stop feeling guilty for not finishing anything.

(Is my superfun hobby really so boring now? I think not!)

But. Already I am missing the camaraderie of fellow knitters. After all, no one at work cares how soft my new silk is, or how cool bloggerX is in person.

I do have a *tiny* bit of fun to think about, so I will try to focus on that.

First, tonight is the NoMoCo meetup and rumor has it that much drop spindling will be taking place. I still haven't made a dent in the roving stash I got at Rhinebeck last year (and in a remarkable show of restraint that surprised me most of all, I did NOT buy any more roving at MD). So I am going to try to get ALL the way up there to meet with those folks.

Second is this:



I can't tell you what it's for just yet... And it may take forEVER before I can... But it's pretty exciting. (Lara, don't tell!) If nothing else, it's free yarn that came for ME! And that's cool in and of itself.

How much more Sheep and Wool can you stand?

At least one more post, right? Before we give back in to the workaday blog posts about WIP progress and pattern quandaries, let's have one more romp in the Alternate World of knitters and bloggers and wool-as-far-as-the-eye-could-see.

Speaking of which, here is a picture of a famous blogger, about to take a picture of a nest of bloggers:



(To see the picture she was taking, click here.)

But, if you thought that there is only one famous personality in the above shot, look again... At her feet are the continent-trotting sock and over to the right there, Rhinebeck (the wool fest-trotting cardi).

And on that grassy knoll, not just our dear Steph, but also the most adorabley happy duo of Greta and Maggie:



One can't help but smile in their company (not that one would have it any other way).

[But what about the LOOT?!]

Oh, right. The loot... Ah much fibery goodness awaits at Ye Olde Fiber Drugstore:


Recreational Yarn-a-ceuticals

First the sock yarn:


Clockwise from the top right:

• The Fold's Socks That Rock in Sandstone and
• Soft Rock in Siren Song
• KPPPM in reds and wines (for Mom socks)
• Lorna's in Turquoise (for MIL)

Then the fine stuff:


Counter-clockwise from the top left (just keeping you guessing):

• Some lovely green superwash (maybe socks, maybe a Fiber Trends Leaf Lace shawl)
• Two skeins of the delish Brooks Fiber Yarn, one Duet in blue - grey shades, and in the center a Primero in a pale rose
• Next to the rose is a huge beautiful mulberry skein of Cormo fingering (MMM! a monotone Charlotte, maybe?)
• Over 600 yds of Cormo/Angora fingering in natural cream
• Lastly, at the top, shimmering in pale blues, is a wrap's worth of Tess' Cascade Silk. I could just die!

Speaking of lace. Not all the friendly faces belong to bloggers. Here is the fantastic Linda and her lovely Charlotte:


(Although we would LOVE to turn Linda into a blogger, until then we satisfy ourselves by occasionally cruising by her fabulous soap shop.)

Alas, all good things must end-until-October.

Until then,



EXTRA CREDIT
I get by with a little help from my friends,
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends,
With a little help from my friends.

The pictures I didn't take at MDS$W

I got a lot of pictures. Two whole memory cards full! But, before I bust out the travelogue, I want to be sure and make note of all the pics I did NOT take, 'cause those are the first I will forget.

First. Everyone else has the cool ass group shots. Look around, you'll see. It was a crazy wild knitblogger con, man! If you have an awesome pic of knitters, let me know. I would love to see it.

Now. Why didn't I get a pic of Cara with her super dreamy green Brooks Farms Fiber? I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for the FO!

I really wish I had the pic of Erika with the corndog and oreos (I hope Lara got it!)

How come I don't have a shot of Crafty Sarah and Lara singing Summer Lovin'? (And for that matter, Cheryl's sassy Stefani cover?)

I was so drooly at Tess' that I completely forgot to take pictures of all the luscious fiber-crack!

I failed to snap Jenna, Nathania, Rachael & Lala, and Heather (and lots of other fabulous women)... But I still had a GREAT time meeting them all.

I completely spaced on getting any pictures of the crowd of bloggers at the T-shirt hall all taking each other's pictures. All the "normals" seemed intrigued by the small clusters of wild photographers taking blogworthy shots of funny faces and "finally meeting"s and "ohmygodthatisagorgeous boobholder/audrey/clapotis/charlotte!"s

However, I did get this shot:


Cute or super creepy?

Next up: Shameless yarn pr0n. I mean, it was a sheep and WOOL festival, after all...

EXTRA CREDIT
Last but not least: To all you fest-goers, what song do you feel sums up your festival experience this year? (My answer in the next post.)

Looks like milk, but stronger

Some pics.


Silvia, Julie, Theresa, Claudia, Norma, and Lara


Day one stash enhancement


The now-famous 1.7 Generation Korean Karaoke Bar


First pick a song to sing (Click here for a closeup of the punchline)


Then do a little dance (Ann Marie, Jenny, and Carrie)


Drink a little Blue (get down tonight!)


Requisite wildlife shot (the llama, not Lara)


'Nuff Said, Y'all

For all those Bitter and Not-Bitter

Some pictures of Old Rag Mountain to tide you over this weekend.

On the way up, we saw a couple fields of these:



Where I'm from, these are actually a rare find! Click here for the answer.

The "rock scramble" is what really kicked my butt. Here is one of my favorite parts (because of not so much scrambling as ducking and walking).

The view from "half-way" also known as "seriously?! Only half-way??":



For more and bigger, click here or here or here. (In that last one you can see the "summit" of Old Rag about one-third in from the left side. It looks like a small pile of rocks.)

I really did make it:



The view was super fantastic.

Some fun on the way down:
Don't Touch That Stick!



I am much stronger than I appear.

I went with a group from my office. I love that every once in a blue moon, this is how much of my office spends it's Tuesday.

I am hobbling only slightly more proficiently today, but hopes are high for tomorrow. That's right! TOMORROW. WOO! I hope I don't blow the rent money.

Move along, nothing to see...

At least not here.

Tuesday I hiked three miles up a beautiful mountain, and three miles back down (took the more difficult, but shorter ridge trail back down). If you are nearby, please keep an eye out for my calves. I know I had them with me when I left... Also, my quads would like to say hi, but they're mostly dead. I have some GREAT shots. But sadly, I am unable to hobble over to where the camera is so I can upload the pics.

FMF said, "What if you don't feel better by the time Saturday rolls around?"

Huh? I am sure I will be fine by then. If not, maybe Lara could roll me around in a really big stroller. I hear they are all the rage at these things.

Now. For some seriously hilarious knitsh*t, go on over to Jen and La's place for some Stash Wars. THAT'S where the fun is today, folks.

Lately at La maison de Petites Mains

I did not go riding yesterday. Too much rain and mud. That's twice!

[sigh]

In other news, I finished my shell.

For one less dimension, click here (sorry about the blur, it was dark).

I am pretty sure that the kiwifruit factor is a bit too high for me to wear this thing out in public, but I may change my mind pending the shawl's progress (see below).

[sigh]

In happier news, here is the summery goodness I scored from the crafty women over at Woolarina. I have around 500 yards... And the IK Fall 04 (somewhere). Anyone know if I can get a flower basket out of this from the magazine specs?


Go on... check out the other lovelies... you know you wanna!

And here are the most recent Sock FOs. On the left are the pair from the Steinbach Wolle Strapaz (my colorway was a Ringel, but I couldn't find it online). On the right are the Las Vegas (souvenir yarn) socks made from Lang Jawoll Jaquard.


[PS: Ann, the repeat is there, but its a long one.]

Lastly, here is my current obsession. The Lotus Blossom shawl from Fiddlesticks Knitting. I am on row 102... I am pretty sure I won't get it done for S&W, but I am going to give it my obsessive best.


Click make BIG and click make CLOSE

By the way, Dorothy, owner and designer over at Fiddlesticks, writes incredible patterns with big charts and clear directions. Plus she said I could call her if I had any trouble! How cool is that? (And, and, AND, she was able to find one last skein of the now discontinued silk/wool Fleece Artist.) Needless to say, she rocks!