knitted out, socked in

Sunday at KnitOut NY. The weather, a last hurrah summer day, was screaming BEACH but off I went to deliver a poster for the Red Scarf Project (get one yourself for printing out and hanging up at your local kntting venue, see info in my last post) to Annalisa from the Orphan Foundation, and catch up with friends.

Who would have thought that so many many people would choose to throng around yarn on a hot sunny day?

Two non-knitting friends & I met up just as the doggy fashion show launched. Furry animals in acrylic knits in 80 degree F? We went scurrying to brunch on a shady side street and that was it for a couple of hours. I love knitting, I can talk knitting any day, I'll knit anywhere but there's your proof. I'm not truly hardcore.

My favorite planned sighting? Kay and HaikuPanderer Cara, later, while the KnitOuters carried on stickily. You'd think being a photographer and all I'd be showing you a photo of them smiling, right? OK, they looked just like (if you scroll down a bit) this image of them over at Yarn Harlot's NYC roundup but I bet Stephanie saw them earlier in the day, by late afternoon we was all a bit wilty. So I thought I'd point the lens only at, y'know, real strangers. . Whatever. Friends don't let friends appear wilty.

Back at the ranch, the Rodeo socks are finished. I'm happy, but wish the cuff were an inch longer. Entry level sock knitter that I am, I was so excited to get to the heel I started it too soon.

I'm not sure what this says about me, or my neighbor: Monday morning, she comes upon me sitting on my front steps in the sun, in shorts, photographing wool socks on my very own feet. Not batting an eye she walks over and starts talking about unrelated business, never letting on that anythng slightly odd is going on.

Soon as she left, I whipped this out. With the Rodeos done, I cast on for my next pair. In the throes of first sock enthusiasm last spring I pounced on this Lornas Laces stripey yarn from the DeStash site. Six months later I'm thinking..."what was I thinking? Egg yolk and Playdoh blue? why?" but its coming along cheerfully and less garishly than anticipated. Might be just the thing on a grey winter morning. Such very nice feeling sock yarn. This time, no skimping on the cuffs.

get out your red yarn and dance

Its time to start a scarf.


More info, an FAQ, links to buttons and plenty of company knitting along here .

The piece above is available as a big honking ready-to-print-as-a-poster hi-res JPEG. I'll send it to you. Strings attached (of course. are we not knitters?). You must promise to print it out & bring it to your local yarn store and get them to hang it up. Or anywhere else knitters are found. Send me an email at: ezisus at snet dot net .

loose ends

Some literal.

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Some figurative. What better time than Labor Day weekend to tie up the strings of summer left hanging?

The mitered square collaborative afghan , with my sister, started with a Memorial Day weekend cast-on. In a brilliant flash of knitting symmetry, I knit the last 2 squares today, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend . I could do more. I never tired of knitting these. Seaming, screaming and border scheming to follow.

For those who commented on the possible trauma to our sisterly relationship I'm happy to report we're getting along as well as ever. She joined us for dinner last night . We bickered opined opposing only over 1) how to cook the crabs
2) whether to make pasta or if bread & corn were enough carbos
3) whether I baby my younger son too much
4) whether a certain friend is nice but shy or has annoying social skills
and, finally, 5) whether Lauryn Hill's version of Killing Me Softly with The Fugees is really great or should be turned off immediately.

But the afghan? We're totally getting along over the afghan. Phew. Not to worry.

In other loose ends and I believe we're getting literal again here, the dog's has successfully healed back on . I'm going to spare you any dog butt imagery. Before or after. The word ass-meat ,however, keeps getting stuck in my head.

Continuing...last June I tempted my mom into sock knitting (you'll need to scroll down to the last 'graph on the post) on a visit when I tried the magic loop and sucked her right into casting on a pair. In poetic knitting justice, her first socks came out in a size that only fit me, amongst the five women in our family.

My lack of competition for ownership may have everything to do with our voting them "Most Ugly Self-Striping Sock Yarn Ever Invented or Sold" . Mom wasn't very happy with them, she didn't like the sport weight yarn look, and so here's what I saw during my visit last week, with some fingerweight

:

My socks from that June visit, fyi, are an inch from completion.

The remants of Ernesto are blowing hard, it looks like summer's about washed up here in the Northern Hemisphere. I hate to see it go.............