Gobble, gobble.

I've been slacking on blogging since I was busy with stuff and celebrating my birthday. My birthday usually falls on or very close to Turkey Day. So my friends are often traveling for the holiday and my birthday has a tendency to get lost. But not this year, this year I spent it in the company of good friends, good food and tasty cocktails. So tomorrow is just Thanksgiving, no candles in the sweet potato, no Happy Bird-day cards.s Just family and a wonderful meal.


So what will I be doing the day after Thanksgiving? The idea of heading to the stores at 5am on Friday is so amazingly perverse to me so you know you won't catch me waiting in line to get into Best Buy or Walmart. I would rather sleep in, put up a pot of coffee and knit and sew and and stitch and nap and watch DVDs. I have some ideas for some handmade gifts for the holidays and a few other things so I hope to make a good dent in them this weekend. There, now I have said it I have to follow through lest I get comments saying what a slacker I am.


I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow with family and friends eating too much and taking turkey-induced naps. I myself will be munching on my mom's kick-ass sweet potato biscuits and I am sure to eat way too many.

For those of you outside the U.S., well....Happy Thursday! Woo!

Some Kitchen Stitchin'

A few months back, I wrote about the Kitchen-Aid mixer I bought. Here it is , happy in it's new home...

But I realized once it got home that since my kitchen is decorated in blue and yellow I needed to add a bit of red accent to go with the mixer. So I pulled out my trusty Sublime Stitching patterns and started stitching a tea towel. I have stitiched the Diner Girl a few times before but never on anything I kept for myself and of course, I had to have a little red mixer on it.

You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round

I went to the Guild meeting this month where Susan Gibbs from the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm was our speaker. She gave a great talk with ridiculously cute animal photos. The title of her talk was "Why Knitting Matters Now" and she gave me my new favorite quote, "When the revolution comes, I'll be warm". And before you get all crazed that she is advocating a revolt. relax. What she was talking about was in this time of economic upheaval there is something about being able to fulfill a basic need by yourself.

So in that vein I am even more prepared because I can make yarn!!!

My sister gave me some drop spindles that she had (I had no idea that she had once dabbled in spinning). At Rhinebeck I picked up some beautiful roving and Jenny was going to teach me how to use my spindle. Only it turns out my spindle is a bottom whorl and Jenny had only ever used a top whorl and we had some difficulties. (Insert your own dirty top vs bottom jokes here - we sure as hell did). So I decided to take a lesson with an expert and went to see Lucy at Mind's Eye Yarns.

So check it out--- my first handspun!! And a new addiction was born.

Roving


Handspun!!!

Porom

Hello y'all! I flew down to Atlanta for the wedding of a college friend this past weekend and it sounds like I still have a little southern accent in my ears. I love it. I would trade that lilt of a southern voice for a Bostons accent any day any time. The weather there is about a month or so behind Boston so it was nice see the leaves all in full color and to hear folks commenting how chilly it was getting(it was in the 60s).

It definitely was not the weather for my latest finished project, Porom designed by Brooklyn Tweed. Since I have naturally curly hair, a la Frieda from Peanuts, finding winter hats has always been a problem for me. But then this pattern was published and the model had curly hair!!!! So I knew I wanted to make it and I had a strong idea of what kind of yarn I wanted to use, natural undyed wool or some sort. So I went with this really nice llama wool that I bought specifically for this project at Rhinebeck.

It's a great pattern, very well written and a quick knit and it looks good on me. I may even mke aa second one of a slightly thinner yarn to show off the lace pattern. I wish I could post a photo of me wearing it but you know what's harder to do than take a photo of yourself? Taking a photo of the back of your own head.

Is Something Going On Today?

Happy Election Day!

I've voted! Only about a 35 minute wait at 7am this morning. Usually there is no wait at my polling place but I figure it wasn't too bad and I am glad to see a big turnout. As I was waiting, I knit a few inches of another square for the Pine Street Inn Knit-A-Thon. Really, how do people manage waiting in lines without knitting? I do miss the old school voting booths with the curtains, I remember going in them with my mom as a kid and her letting me move the levers.

My feeling on voting on this, you don't vote - you don't get to complain. And we all know I love bitching too much to give up that right. Of course there is no complaining in Sarahland since I am a benevolent dictator and treat my citizens quite well. Well, unless they spit but then they deserve my wrath.

Outside of Sarahland everyone is pretty worked up about this election but I don't think I can sit through a whole night of talking heads with their maps, screens, polls and predictions.... I think I may have to program my own alternative Election Night tv viewing. I am thinking maybe some Pinky and The Brain, a quest for power at its most pure - narf! Then followed with a bit of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. And since I love theme meals I think I may have to go with some all-American comfort food for dinner, chicken and dumplin's.

I figure at this point you have all been told to vote by a gazillion different people and things so you don't need me telling you too. And if you're not in the US y'all are probably so sick of us and this incredibly loooooong process. But I will tell you that Starbucks is giving out free coffee if you vote and Ben & Jerry's free ice cream. So if the democratic process isn't a good enough reason for you then free eats should be.

Happy Halloween!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Halloween. Since I have no crafts of my own to show off, I am going to let my nepotism run wild and lead you over to my sister's blog, so you can see the Halloween costume she made for my adorable niece. She's just booo-tiful!!! Sorry needed to throw a Halloween pun in here somewhere.

Really, between having a crafty mom and auntie the kid is pretty lucky.

Rhinebeck!!!

I am back from my trip to Rhinebeck with my friends Ariel and Jenny and it has taken me a few days just to rest and recover before being able to get to the computer to post. For those unfamiliar with this event of fiber-y goodness, the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, it takes place in Rhinebeck, NY, so hence it is just referred to as "Rhinebeck". A fact that kept confusing Jenny who could not comprehend how anyone could mention the word Rhinebeck and not be referring to the wool festival.

The whole event was truly a feast for the senses. The Hudson Valley area of NY in autumn is just gorgeous.


Then throw in the smells and tastes of fair food: fried dough, chicken pot pie, fudge, maple syrup cotton candy (yummy!), all that plus they had wine and cheese tastings. Really people! Yarn and cheese, does it get any better?

But most of all there was yarn, fabulous, colorful, soft, roll around naked in, yarn. There were just buildings and buildings of vendors with such pretty things to touch and see. Most of the yarn was from small farms and independent dyers. I think I was pretty restrained in my shopping but did add to my stash with absolutely no idea what I am going to use some of this for and I don't care! I don't usually buy without a specific project in mind so I think this was really good for me.

Saturday night was the ravelry party and I think someone said there were nearly 700 people there! We initially were way early so we stopped at a local diner for an amazing burger and chocolate milkshake. So we ended up getting to the party a bit late but we did get goodie bags! Since it was so very chilly we took refuge in one of the tents with heaters and hung out with the wonderful folks of the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm.

Diner


Ravelry cupcakes

Now for the photos you are really waiting for....yarn!!!!

Socks That Rock

Alpaca light fingering weight, the softest thing ever! I literally cradled it in my arms and stroked it as I waited to pay for it. I have adopted it as my new pet and I think we are just going to sit on the couch and watch tv together. Far less maintenance than a cat or bunny.



Lluxury Llama, the only thing I bought with a specific pattern in mind


Best bargain of the day, this 100% wool cranberry fingering weight heather with blue flecks that I figured had to have something wrong with it since it was so reasonable!



I finally found a cute vase to show off the colorful needles my grandma gave me.