New Project- Feather and Fan Shawl

In between several loads of laundry, I cast on this new project that would be great to take with me on my trip to Europe next month. It will be great to dress up a casual outfit for evening, especially in Paris. Oooh la la! Not to put any pressure on myself, I have only one month to finish it. I am not so great with lace yet, and my needles are a little blunt and the yarn a little slippery, so lets see how far I get. I am using Rick Rack II from Interlacements in color 120, Mountain Jewel. If I don't work on any other project for this month, it may be doable and I do have the trip to California next weekend, with flights and airport waiting time.

This afternoon, I met my knitting friend Stacy at the Tattered Cover coffee shop for a couple of hours of coffee, knitting and chatter. We took a couple of classes together at the knitting shop this winter and I wore my Kauni sweater for the first time. I half expected her to wear hers as well. I had been worried it was too warm already, but today it snowed again and was perfect. I will test it out on the work crowd as well tomorrow.

Back to knitting

All the girl energy that enlivened the house for the last week has gone. Alison drove back to KC today and it is just Gary and me again. But before she left, I finished the socks started several months ago.

See how happy she is, especially since they are not wool.

Actually, I really didn't enjoy knitting them because of the yarn. It was Fixation, which is a blend of cotton and elastic, and it was pretty hard on the hands.

I also finished the Kauni Cardigan too. It had been virtually done for several weeks, but I kept putting off the finishing details- tacking down the steeks inside and weaving in the loose ends. But I tackled it, washed and blocked it, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope it doesn't get too warm in the next week, so I can wear it.

The other big news is that I have entered the IPOD world. My new 8GB Nano is so cute- don't you think so. While Alison was here, we set up Itunes and loaded lots of music. It is a really eclectic mix of rock, folk, showtunes, easy listening. Tomorrow morning I will be walking and giving it a real tryout.

Springtime in Colorado

It is April 10, for goodness sake. Sunshine and 50 yesterday and look what today brings!!!!!!

A Family Gathering

On Sunday, we gathered at Mt Nebo Cemetery for the unveiling of the headstone on the one year anniversary of my father's death. What a year it has been....it seems like just yesterday. In addition to the kids, my brother, Steve, also flew in from New York to honor Dad's memory. We read psalms, a passage from Ecclesiastes (remember Turn Turn Turn??) and the mourner's Kaddish. Short and sweet, we were all moved by the classic words of tradition.

We went to brunch afterwards at Yia Yia's and the mood was upbeat. How sad it is that we live so far apart from family, because we always have such a good time when we get together.

Steve and Mom

Alison, Amanda, and Mary strike a pose

left to right: Me, Mom, Steve, Mary, Alison, Gary and Amanda

On Monday night, the kid's watched old home movies from about 20 years ago. How sweet it was to see videos of Dad when he was younger and vital and lively. And also, there was video of Maggie, whom we also lost last year, sadly after a long battle with breast cancer. How wonderful that these moments are captured to share years later.

Wild Week in the Neighborhood

The Kids are in town, which always shakes things up around here. Wednesday, Amanda flew to Kansas City and then the two girls drove to Denver on Thursday, arriving around 3 pm. They surprised me at work and I really enjoyed showing them off to my co-workers. Alison, who also works at Crate, got to see all her old friends from 722.

Alison:
Amanda then picked up the car, drove to DIA to pickup her friend, Mary, and the two of them headed up to Casper WY, to visit a friend who had recently moved there from NYC where the girls live! Like she didn't drive enough that day....oh to be young again. I didn't know whether Casper was ready or able to survive these 3 metropolitan girls getting together again.

Amanda and Mary

On Friday night, since Alison ditched me to get together with an old friend and Amanda was two-stepping in Wyoming, I had the perfect opportunity to get to see the Yarn Harlot again, appearing at the Tattered Cover, this time in Highlands Ranch. I arrived at about 5:30 pm, bought my book, and found a stool to sit on in line and knit as I was knitting. Friendly knitters were all around and helped pass the time as we waited for the tickets to be passed out.

I had an opportunity to chat with Connie who was spinning some of the finest, as in thin, yarn I have ever seen spun on a spindle. I watched her nimble fingers pass the roving to its twists and become yarn....Amazing. She graciously allowed me to photograph her spindle and yarn. It is something to aspire to.

As expected there were more than two hundred knitters, knitting supporters, and a few muggles (people who don't get knitting) and at 6:30 when numbers for seats were handed out, I headed right to the front of the seating looking for a random open seat and scored a center aisle seat in the 2nd row. Check out the Harlot's blog on April 5 to see me in the green sweater.Last year I

(see my empty chair in the second row.)

was in the front row, but I am not complaining. I worked on the Booby Sock and enjoyed all the

wonderful ladies (mostly) around me.

(The Booby sock will need some serious blocking.)

The talk was hysterical covering the zen of knitting, the Canadian cabin episode and the lack of air in Denver. Someone should invite her to stay for more than 24 hours next time, so she can acclimate! Consider yourself invited, Stephanie!!

She talks like she writes and writes like she talks...it is a very dry and deadpan sort of humor, but you all know that! Once the talk was over, the book signing began and since I held number 94, I knew it would be a bit of a wait to get me chance to get my book signed and a few words with Stephanie. She complimented me on my Nantucket Jacket, loved my booby socks, which grew by a few inches during the evening, and she was very grateful for the few pieces of chocolate I gave her while she signed my book. What is so amazing is that she is just as gracious with the last people in the line as she was with those in front. There were nearly endless photos with socks, babies, projects of all shapes and sizes, knitters galore and Stephanie herself. I sat next to Katherine and we took photos for each other when it was our turn. I checked out Katherine's blog and she used a couple, so I was glad they came out. Here are a few she took of me:

Sharing the Sock Mojo Checking out the Booby Sock Pattern

Signing my copy of her latest book. She liked my Nantucket Jacket!

A good time was had by all, except the staff of the Tattered Cover who really wanted to go home hours earlier. There were still about 50 people in line when I left at 10:00 pm.