Limelight!

The wonderful Sheri of The Loopy Ewe has featured me in the Loopy Limelight! I am honored. :)

Monday's Musing

Thank you all so much for the stories you shared with me and for your kind comments! Somehow, it is very comforting to know that I am not the only one who feels this way. I have replied to everyone whose email I have, but to all of you: a big giant hug and thanks!

Today's musing is on change. I thought it was topical, given the painful changes the country and world are currently going through.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." - Anatole France

Sometimes, I know I forget that.

Have a great week, everyone!

If you've lost someone...

...then I think you will understand.

A little over three years ago, I lost my mother. The circumstances were unpleasant, though not entirely unexpected. Today really isn't an important date, like the anniversary of her death or her birthday. It just so happened that I have been going through all of her belongings. At the time of her death, perhaps coincidentally or as part of the universal plan, my life entered a period of upheaval, both bad and good, from which I am just now recovering. All of my mother's things, including my grandmother's and my uncle's belongings that she had after their deaths, went into storage. And there they stayed. But storage is much more expensive than dealing with things that need to be dealt with. And so everything is now in my house. Boxes and boxes and boxes of things. Books and diaries and pieces of my childhood mixed in with bills and old newspapers. I literally sort through each box paper by paper. By paper by paper.

The other day, I was listening to "Fresh Air." A woman had written a book about loss, and she talked a little bit about the strangeness of a person being there one moment and then gone the next, leaving everything - their clothes, their hair brush, their shoes, their work - behind. And I thought "yes. That is the part that is so odd." I had never heard anyone describe it in the words this woman used. Somehow it struck a chord with me. And I thought about that today when I picked up a T-shirt of my mother's. I had unearthed it the other day in one of the endless boxes. When I pulled it over my head, it smelled like her. And somehow, that is something my little human brain cannot wrap itself around. How can something still smell like a person who has been gone for over three years? How can her gloves still show the imprint of her hand? How can her shoes still look worn, even though she is not here to wear them?

I don't know why I am telling you all this; I'm not usually one to write about the very personal. But somehow, I just needed to. Thank you for reading it.

It's here!

First: I am teaching Ice Queen and the Delta Queen scarf at Knitterly in Petaluma this Saturday. There are still a couple of spots left, so if you are local, come on down!

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Well...I didn't get to go to Rhinebeck this year. :( But the FedEx man did bring a pretty cool package. :)

It came from Colorado.

Since FedEx has officially declared my little town "The Stix," priority overnight can mosey on over any time before 4:00 instead of the usual 10:30. So by afternoon, I was anxiously awaiting my package, and went running downstairs when I saw the truck from the window. I think the FedEx guy may have been a little taken aback.

I stared at for a long time. And then I went back to work. Somehow, I didn't want to open it.

I started to open it. I put it down.

But then the guys gathered around and the opening began in earnest.

It was wrapped in cool paper.

Taped neatly.

The advance copy of my book!

There was a lovely note inside.

I stared at it for a long time.

And then I opened it!

I thumbed through it and checked out a few of my photos that had been included (very exciting!).

It was surreal.

It seems so long since I worked on it: a very strange feeling!

The verdict? I love it!!!

Monday's Musing

"You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it." - Malcolm X

Have a great week, everyone!

Check it out!

Ba, my friendly local fiber enabler, pointed me to it: Liquid Silver made the Daily Chum! I am so honored. Thanks Ba! And thank you, Meg, for the great review!

Joanne asked about the yarn I used: Elann.com's Silken Kydd. Yes, it *is* like kidsilk haze, Kid Seta and Douceur et Soie. It is luxurious and incredible to knit with. The halo is lovely. It is soft, soft, soft. Knitting this stole was enjoyable from start to finish, and I admit I made the knitting of it last longer than I really should have, just because I was enjoying it so much! The yarn is decadent.

You can queue Liquid Silver here on Ravelry. :)

Liquid Silver

My new stole design using elann.com's Silken Kydd and foil lined seed beads!

You can find it here on the elann.com site. It is available for free and there is a matching pin (not up on the site quite yet), as well!

I loved every minute of knitting this. The yarn is amazingly luxurious, and I think anne, with whom I discussed halo theory :g: would agree!

If you are on Ravelry, you can queue Liquid Silver here. Enjoy!

Monday's Musing

With so much uncertainty and, well, fear, abounding, I thought these quotes would make for good musings.

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood." - Marie Curie

"Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop." - Usman B. Asif

"There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear." - George S. Patton

Edited to add from Yarnhog: "This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." - FDR (from his first inaugural address, in the middle of the Great Depression.)

May you and yours be safe, healthy and well fed, and may you all prosper. As I've been reminded so many times: this too shall pass.

I think I'll go pet my stash now. :)

Have a great week, everyone!

Miscellany

Hypothetical Conversation

Kid #1: Mom, [Kid #2] took my notebook that I got at his birthday party. Could you make him give it back?
Kid #2: It was on the floor.
Kid #1: So? It has my NAME on it!
Kid #2: But it was on the FLOOR!
Kid #1: SO!?!?!?
Kid #2: It's MINE!
Kid #1: No it's NOT!
Kid #2: You didn't get ANYthing at my birthday party!
Kid #1: Yes, I DID!!!
Mom: This is why parents look so much older than other people. Did you know I'm really only 22?
Kid #1: Could you deal with it?
Mom to Kid #2: Do you have the notebook?
Kid #2: Yes. It's MINE!!!
Kid #1: It has my name on it!
Mom to Kid #2: Does it have [Kid #1]'s name on it?
Kid #2: Now?
Mom: Yes.
Kid #2: No.
Mom: Did you erase it?
Kid #2: Yes.
Mom: Give it back.

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Hey, I just heard that my Muir shawl is mentioned in a web comic! How freakin' cool is that?!?!!?

More about those earrings

I took a few pics for everyone of the earrings I was wearing on Stephanie's blog. (And because I love these earrings.)

They may be my very favorite project in the book!

They use rose quartz nuggets and silver plated or sterling silver wire.

The wire is knit around a frame that you form first. I particularly love

that until you see them up close,

You can't tell they are knitted.

It's your little secret. :)

People are still asking if I intend to sell them. So far, I don't think I will. We'll see though. But you can make your own! And I may even post a few tutorials when the book comes out.

Those Earrings

So! People have been asking about those earrings (and the necklace) that I'm wearing in the pics on the Yarn Harlot's blog. Nope, they aren't for sale on my site, but they are projects from my upcoming book! And you all can totally make your own pair!

Ok, now I just have to say it again: the Yarn Harlot ROCKS! Thank you for coming to Santa Rosa, Stephanie, and for being so wonderful!

That is all. :)

Monday's Musing

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men [and women!] do nothing."
- attributed to Edmind Burke

Sometimes it's difficult, but some times it is so very very easy.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! :)

The Harlot Rocks Santa Rosa

The Harlot was in town, and we all bought our books and stood in line to see her. People came by and asked who was speaking. The looks on their faces were priceless when told; they obviously just didn't know what to say or how to act. Knitting?!

In line, we saw the stunningly gorgeous Knitmore Girls, a mother-daughter podcast team, interviewing everyone. Isn't Jasmin's hair fabulous?

Here's Sandi from Knitterly and her spinning husband.

I got to meet some very cool people in line. Hi Marianne (I hope that's how you spell your name)!

We finally got inside. The mood was exuberant! I met Kandice and Liz. Here's Jenn.

And dear Alison with no-blog-Rachel.

No-blog-Rachel and I took pictures of each other. :)

Here's June and Carol. June is wearing one of the pieces from my upcoming book (the red and silver necklace). I almost didn't get it back. ;) I didn't quite get Taunya in the picture. I thought I had, but honestly? There is such an amazing feeling in the room when the Harlot comes to speak that I couldn't quite concentrate.

I know this is a terrible picture of her, but she is in front of the light.

She was wonderfully funny, honest, human, kind, insightful and real. She rocked the house. Big time. :)

I got to talk to her for a few minutes (she actually remembered me! I don't know how she does it), and did a little show and tell with some of the projects I got back from my book: a necklace

and some earrings.

She took pictures!

And Carol was kind enough to snap the whole thing.

Thank you for coming to Sonoma County, Stephanie. You da bomb!

Vote for the sheep!

Apparently, Intel is sponsoring a $5,000 tech makeover contest, and there's a sheep farm entered! How cool is that?! Here is one of their lambs, for the cuteness factor.

Have I got your attention? ;) It's MV Fiber Farm, and you can read about it here and vote. I know that if all of us knitters come together, we can totally get this woman the makeover! Go! Vote! Pass it on to your friends! :D