Now Norma Knits

Wow. It's October 23, 2015.

I hate to start this post with a bunch of clichés, so I'm just going to jump right into it.

Hi! I see you. Can you see me? Knock-knock. Anybody out there?

I look over at the sidebar of this poor underfed, anemic blog and I see something like 300 readers, down from 5,000 or more back in the day. That is just.....sad. Isn't it?

Annnnd, I did it. That was fairly blogger-cliché, eh? Sorry.

I was prompted to write because last weekend... well, last weekend was the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, aka RHINEBECK! And our fearless foursome -- Leigh, Sandy, Jenn, and I -- met up and roomed together for the 12th year in a row, and had the most wonderful, recreational and restorative time together.

And we selfied....

We walked....

 We talked....

Oh hey, I'm not kidding about OVER the Hudson. This is where those oh-so-tame-looking photos above were taken. I've got some vertigo just looking at this right now:

 We shopped....

(Blimey, the festival is RIDONKULOUSLY crowded now. I believe the figure is something like 54 MILLION PEOPLE PER SQUARE FOOT, or something close to that. We can only stand it for about 30 minutes before we have to leave and get some air. And booze. So we spend a lot of our time and money in the nice little village, just pretending that we are actually at the Sheep & Wool. But I did buy that amazing granny square scarf at the actual festival before we fled to safer ground.)

We ate......

And drank......

 

(That is an apple cider mimosa in the glass.)

(You're welcome.)

 But here's the interesting bit:

We (or at least I) knitted!

For the first time in maybe forever, I was the first one to arrive at our hotel, so I had some time on my hands while I waited for my compatriots to arrive. And just before I left home, I had done a frantic -- and I do mean frantic -- search for some knitting to bring with me. Much to my surprise, I found an already completed Red Scarf:

 

...and another one that was started who-knows-when. So there I was, doing this VERY WEIRD ACTIVITY when Sandy arrived. Upon seeing me, she loudly exclaimed, "WHO ARE you?!"

Fair comment.

(Coincidentally, David just walked in while I was writing this and I said, "I'm blogging," to which he replied, "WHO ARE you?!")

It's been quite a long time since I've engaged in this either of these activityies. But it truly is like riding a bicycle! I remember how! And I even remembered how to execute this pattern, the ever-loved, ever-popular unisex pattern, the Corrugator, by our friend Paula Smith.

I've been knitting a few rows a day since then, and look:

Before I know it, if I'm not careful, I'll be finished.

So now I've been thinking about The Red Scarf Project and learned that they now have a wonderful thing called The Book Club, which is sort of an outcropping of our own Red Scarf Fund with a little bit of a broader mission. I've just signed up. The way I thought of it is this:  I drive a Prius now, and I'm not spending as much on gas for my car as I used to. I figure I can send $20 a month without it hurting a bit, so that's what I just signed up for. Maybe you wouldn't mind spending a couple of cups of coffees' worth per month to help out some students in need, even if you are not a knitter, but just my friend.

One thing I'd like to mention is that Foster Care to Success ranks very high on Charity Navigator. They spend almost ALL of their money on their mission, very little on administrative costs, and have excellent transparency. Plus, I know the people who run it very well, and they are darn good people.

Either way, I'm just wondering how you're doing and how many of you Red Scarf soldiers are carrying on.

Do tell.

 

Gale Zucker and Rhinebeck Style!

Gale just gave me a scare.  She posted a video on my Facebook timeline, with the following words:

So, here are 320 or so folks posing for me but only one, ONE, revealed her belly button. Guess whoooooooo? oh Norrrrmaaaaaa.

I was afraid to look. But Gale did her usual makin'-me-look-so-good thang. Nothing to worry about at all. I was posing with the wonderful upcycled blanket I bought from the amazing Crispina ffrench at New York Sheep & Wool Festival 2012, and isn't it amazing how nicely color-coordinated my whole getup is with the blankie?  I'd say it was coincidence, but maybe not, since I always tend to buy Autumn. And I'm also wearing my one-and-only lace knit (the one-and-only that I've done myself, that is -- so many wonderful people have knitted me beautiful lace -- Cookie, Marianne, Cassandra, to name a few), the Flower Basket Shawl that I made from the natural-dyed sock yarn I bought at my very first visit to Rhinebeck.

So many memories, so much meaning here. 

So, I will let the video speak for itself. Said belly button reveal, not at all like Miley Cyrus even one teeny bit, is at about 2:31 in the video. 

 

Don't you love the way it's put together? It makes me wanna dance!

I recognize SO.MANY of the people in the photos, and I can't wait to be there again this weekend to see all the wonderful folks that have been such an important part of my life. 

See ya there!

Rhinebeck Roomies Since 2004

I will be seeing my Best Ladies this weekend.

Two Posts in Two Days -- The Beginning of a Trend?

Cookie asked:  Yeah but did you eat at the diner? ;^)

Well, I'm glad you asked, Cookie. We sure did. We ate at the [old] Eveready Diner on Friday night, and I am sorry to report that everything was bad that night. Everything! If that had been the first time we had gone there, we never would have gone back. Thankfully, we had a long history of happy meals there, or we would not be able to forgive the cocktails that tasted like cough syrup and were spilling over the sides of the glasses. (Tip to makers of margaritas: If it's splashing over the side, the salt rim is washed away, and Norma, for one, is not happy -- even assuming that the drink was palatable otherwise, which it really wasn't.) In addition, that was my first taste of alcohol since being on these meds, and it really did not sit well, so that was my mistake.

The mac & cheese was at best uninspired (and we've had some really killer mac & cheese at that place in years past). The burgers were likewise rather tasteless and unimpressive.

We could not understand a word that came out of the mouth of the server. Correction: I, you will recall, am a professional listener. And so I had to translate everything he mumbled to my tablemates. Sandy just started saying, "Yeah," to everything he said, and I'd translate after he left. The whole night was just a bit of a disaster. 

It's not just that they were super-busy, because they have ALWAYS been super-busy all those many other times we've gone there and enjoyed great food, great service, great cocktails. It appears that they have sent all their good staff and good food over to the brand-spanking-new one that they built directly across from the fairgrounds.

That's me and Jenn walking in for breakfast at the new place.

It was fabulous.

All the same fixtures and decor and menu as the original, but so clean and new and shiny, with the same great food and wonderful service we've come to expect from the Eveready. 

Win! (With a caveat: We only ate breakfast there -- twice. So I can't report on lunch or dinner success or failure.)

We are hoping that our bad experience that Friday night was just a fluke.

Hey! That's two posts in two days! I have vowed to try to do better with the blog. It is so easy to get out of a good habit, isn't it? I've even saved up some content so I have more to blog about later. (Smart me.) 

 

Popping Out of My Cave To Say Hi

I know it's seemed like I've been awfully quiet -- well, because I have, I guess. I've apparently alarmed a few, but don't worry:  I'm still here and kicking strongly! It really is rather pathetic, though. This formerly-every-single-day blogger (for several years running) is so rusty at it that I could not remember some of the commands in the Typepad software and it took a while to make this post. That is just sad.

But since we last spoke, let's see, I have....

1. Passed the Certified Realtime Reporter, Certified CART Provider, and Certified Broadcast Captioner exams. (Caveat: These are PRELIMINARY scores only! To be verified by the officials before they are OFFICIAL. You know. They have to check the security camera and the audio recording to make sure I didn't cheat, etc. I wonder if the "what the fuuuu..." that I once uttered will be used against me? I shouldn't joke. Heh.) These are long overdue and I should have taken them years ago, but I'm just getting around to it. You know how that goes. I've signed up for them a few times in the past, but then would get booked for a really great job that I could not pass up, and had to cancel them. This time I managed to fit them in. So now I have so many initials to put after my name, it's longer than my actual name.

2. Underwent a cardiac stress test with echocardiogram. That was fun. Not so much. But apparently it all looked unalarming and good enough.

3. Recorded into a log every single piece of food I have eaten, every single thing I have drunk, and every step of exercise I have done since I got out of the hospital. Taken and recorded my blood pressure, ditto.

4. Done a lot of CART work. A lot. 

5. Went to Vermont Sheep & Wool, trudged through the cold drizzle and mud for a couple of hours, and even bought some yarn. 

5. Went to Rhinebeck (!) and roomed with my traditional crew of lovely ladies:

Jenn (Nipperknits), Sandy, and Leigh

We have roomed together just about every year since 2004.

(Except that I couldn't go last year. I'm not bitter at all.)

Needless to say, we had a blast. I forgot my camera the first day, so I have appallingly few photos, but I did manage to get a fabulous one of Kay the second day:

We were underdressed for the weather the first day, and got chased back to the hotel by the cold and rain showers, so we missed out on seeing a lot of folks we wish we had seen. And we made a conscious decision to shop and eat and drink tea in the actual town of Rhinebeck. What a treat! All these years, and we've never really patronized the lovely little shops on the Main Street, as it were. We are so glad we did. I got two pieces of gorgeous jewelry -- one for me and one for a gift for Mr. Jefferies' sitter (Shhhhh, don't tell her. She doesn't read here, so I'm safe.), and we each got a few other great things. We ate a very special dinner at The Terrapin. So.good. SO good.

What else do I have to tell you? 

Oh! I got a new sweater kit for you-know-who:

And some lovely buttons for a sweater I hope to knit someday. I will knit again someday, won't I?

What number was I on? Aw, never mind. Bullets it will be from now on.

• I finally managed to mail Martin's package to him containing the two baby sweaters and the little hat I made way back last spring. You remember the ones, eh? This and This. They were received, and Martin was over the moon. I'm desperately hoping they still fit the baby boy, and hoping for pictures of him wearing it someday soon. 
• And well, because not enough of my body has started falling apart already, I had laser surgery today on one of my eyes, and the other is scheduled for Monday. It was for the condition as described in this YouTube video, should you wish to watch it. I love to watch it just to hear the name of the doctor speaking on that video. 

• Now, I know you really just wanted to see a photo of His Royal Highness, so here you go. Not a very glamorous one, but it's the best I could do in the failing light after my eyes were dilated and then one of them lasered. 

 

The (Tangible) Things I Brought Home From Rhinebeck 2009

I had the unrealistic plan of buying nothing, but you know how that goes. I did spend more than nothing, but I didn't damage the budget too terribly bad, I think.

A really great tote bag:

It's great-looking, well made and well designed, with two outside pockets, two inside pockets, and a drawstring-topped liner in contrast color, as well as a carabiner on the side. From Sliver Moon Farm.

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Some really interesting soap:

 

They had me at "gin & tonic."  From a very cool Rhinebeck business called Merriweather's.

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Some Trekking sock yarn for Paula, because she is Trekking-deprived and I was on a mission.

 

This one doesn't count against the budget, since it's for Paula.

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A sweater kit to make a couple sweaters for you-know-who:

Charcoal grey alpaca, no less. From Style Hounds SoHo. I know I said I wouldn't, but if you saw this lady's pooch sweaters, you would have caved too. And I chose charcoal grey because it just seems to match a sophisticated little city-and-country Yorkie with a posh and proper name like Mr. Jefferies. However, for a small dog like Mr. J., the kit makes two sweaters, and I wish I had had my wits about me to ask her for two different colors. (she had a great selection) What is a guy gonna do with TWO charcoal sweaters, hm????  Perhaps I will have to use two different stitch patterns.   
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And a sweater's worth of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair in Moss Green (I have in mind the sweater pattern Gaelic Mist for this yarn, a finished model of which I saw and admired this weekend)... 

...which they packed for me in a nice canvas tote.

 

And just before I was ready to hit the hay for the night before a very busy work week, I remembered that I forgot to photograph the pewter Celtic buttons I also bought for the green sweater. I'll save that for another day, and now I've got to get to sleep.

Size Matters

Recently my friend Joan asked me, "Norma, how much bigger would you say the New York Sheep & Wool Festival is than Vermont's?"

My original answer was "five times."  Then I realized that my knee-jerk answer was geared more towards my estimate of the relative acreages of the two fairgrounds, though even that is now a question in my mind.  As I was driving down to the festival on Friday, I was thinking more about the question and revised my estimate to 10 times larger.  And all day yesterday I was thinking and thinking and walking around and revising my estimate.  Perhaps 15.  No, maybe 20 times the size.  

I tried to capture in images the size of this madness as well as I could yesterday, but it's very hard to do.

 

 

This year, the crowds seemed smaller to me than last year. It was crowded enough, mind you, but the bathroom lines were not as long and the crowds maybe not quite as crushing. Last year's weather was stupendously gorgeous, and this year was nice enough, but very cold. Perhaps that means that the locals didn't come out in such huge numbers? I did notice that there seemed to be fewer tour buses parked on the far side of the field -- is it a function of the bad economy, or is that just my faulty memory? 

Also, Leigh and I decided to tackle the grounds in a different order than we have in previous years, and maybe by doing that, we avoided some of the unpleasantly huge crowds. I don't know, but I do know that despite the cold (thankfully I was dressed "just right" for the cold, whereas I know that a lot of people were suffering from it) yesterday was thoroughly enjoyable -- no question about it!

 

I've attended NY S & W for several years running, I've attended Maryland Sheep & Wool a few times, and the Vermont and New Hampshire festivals. Each one has its charms. They have some similarities, and some very substantial differences. New York's festival remains one of my favorites. It's big -- very big. The grounds are charming and extremely well appointed, the festival seems very well run, the town of Rhinebeck is beautiful, and though the crowds in the barns and vendors' booths can feel crushing at times, there is room outside to breathe and walk comfortably. 

There's an almost staggering variety of things to do and see -- quirky little oddments of entertainment such as the circus-style guy in black tights walking around on two big horses last year (I didn't see him this year) and the Bolivian musicians, to dog shows and various and sundry fiber demonstrations, and on and on.

And though it is big, it is still possible to run into several groups of friends all throughout the day and have comfy chats. And the food -- ohmygod, the food. There is everything from regular old fair food to gourmet lamb chops with sauteed spinach, artisan cheeses, gourmet coffees, wines and desserts.  

If you've never been to this festival, you really are missing out on something special. 

Off To Rhinebeck and I've Given Up Cake

So I'm off to Rhinebeck today for the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, where much merry-making and overindulging is the theme of the weekend. 

Forgive me if this post is a bit more odd than usual (I know it's a high bar I've set for myself, but...), but I am giddy on the plastic fumes of my new Discover card which arrived YESTERDAY. Yesterday!  Barely 24 hours after the reported loss. Those people know how to do business, I'll tell you. They overnighted it via UPS without us asking them to. Now THAT is service. Hello, Amazon VISA, which is going to take five to seven business days -- I'm talkin' to YOU. Turns out Discover is based in Salt Lake City, UT, and not only that, but I spoke to a young man right there in Salt Lake City -- and I don't mean Salt Lake City, India, either. A real, honest-to-goodness on-American-soil, English-speaking nice young man who thanked me for being a loyal customer since 1988 when I called to activate my new card. Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. One more thing for me to love about Salt Lake City. (Another is JetBlue, and several others are the individuals in my huge crowd of wonderful women friends out there.)  

So I HAVE A CREDIT CARD that I can use to do such essential things as check into my hotel and eat.  Really it's just the hotel thing, and the fact that I hate to carry much cash and I really don't even hardly know how to use a checkbook (Joan can attest to that fact, since I tried to forge her check at Vermont Sheep & Wool -- am I right, Joan?)  I kid. But STILL. A very good feeling to have that little card on my person. Truly. Now there is just that little issue that not every place takes Discover, but at least the hotel and the eateries I plan to frequent, I think, will. It's a big help.

Now, what's all this about me giving up cake? No, despite the fact that I continually whine about That Ten Pounds, I am NOT going to turn down a piece of chocolate lava cake at the Eveready Diner. No way, no how. I mean another kind of cake:

 

The yarn cake.

I've just about had it with the yarn cakes from yarn-winders. No matter how carefully I try to wind them up, I always end up with knots and tangles and problems pulling from the center-pull ball. I always seem to have to rewind it into a regular ball. What a PAIN. So though it takes a bit more time and effort, I think I'm just going to skip the multiple steps of winding the things on the ball-winder and then doing it over anyway, and go primitive again, with the plain-old round ball of yarn. Yes, I do know about the nostepinne, but I think plain-old plain-old ball-winding is just more my cup of tea. 

Look:  Here's evidence of knitting activity:

 

(Don't you love those 'shrooms?  I do not know if they are edible or not, and I'm not about to find out. The extra skeins of the luscious blue yarn came, along with the Discover card. BONUS. Look at that gorgeous blue, nice ROUND ball.)

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I know this looks a bit weird because it's not blocked out, but it is an almost-completed left front of the Lush Shaped Cardigan. The back is completed, in case you had forgotten....

 

... though Mr. Jefferies made it a bit challenging to photograph.

Hello. I'm super-cute, and I'm about to eat your lens.

  

All About My NYC Yarn Crawl

There's so little to tell. I only went to one store. Isn't that pathetic? But at least I chose a winner.  And it had the added benefit of a next-door latte, a pumpkin tart, and a wonderful gab with Kay and her daughter who has A+ skills at Sitting and Pretending Not to be Bored and Unhappy When Mothers Gab.  That girl has awesome skill and talent!  She could win gold in the Olympics in that sport!  Not only that, but when a stranger comes along who is admiring and trying to furtively touch The Mom's handknit Shadow Box, she even cheerfully models it for said stranger who *gasp* has never heard of Ravelry.  Hopefully she remembered the word, because she did not write it down, but Kay urged her to JOIN.  Seriously! You mean there really is a knitter left on this planet who has not joined Ravelry? And we met her. Not only that, but when I was in Purl, the helpful and cheerful staff kept asking people if they were there for the yarn crawl, and many of them said no.  You could tell they were wondering why it was so sardine-like in there.  Made me feel so very cosmopolitan.  There I was, having flown down from Vermont for The First Annual NYC Yarn Crawl.  

I really did intend to hit more of the shops on the crawl, but instead I spent all of Sunday with the kids and the dog.  Not much surprise there, I suppose.  And it was a blast.  The weather was wonderful, we walked miles and miles, and though my best NYC walking boots were in the repair shop, I managed to make it through with only a couple blisters and minimal aches and pains, thanks to plenty of "are you gellin'"-type inserts in my shoes.  

I know you want me to shut up and show you what I bought already!  So here it is:

 

Two skeins of splendid, exquisite softness known as Swans Island Certified Organic Merino worsted-weight yarn in Indigo.  This is such gorgeous stuff, I'd like to take a bath in it.  It's made in Maine, and the stunning dye is natural indigo.

The softness is amazing, but as we knitters all too sadly know, the tradeoff with such softness is often that the knitted item pills like a mofo. This yarn has a bit of a tighter twist, and I'm hoping that prevents the pilling. Fingers crossed. I bought it with something very specific in mind, but after I got home, my idea morphed slightly.  The new idea will require more yarn, and I promptly called Purl and ordered two more skeins.   

I've already cast on for the first part:

Look familiar?  Yup, another Palindrome. And since I cast on and knit and ripped out and recast on and reknit a total of four times the other night, in order to get the width I wanted, and the yarn held up really well to all of that nonsense, I have high hopes that it will not pill and be ratty in no time.  I sure hope it won't, because it's meant for something special, and I certainly don't want it to turn into a schmatte suitable only for wiping down the car after a few wears.

And after mucho waffling, the decision has finally been made:  I will be going to Rhinebeck, though I may be walking around with a tin cup asking for donations, since I freakin' lost my freakin' wallet at UVM last night. So all the credit cards have been canceled and I have to start over.  Off to the DMV for a new license today, unless someone miraculously has turned the thing in and I get it before I go to start to recreate my life.  It's the return of WTF Wednesday.  *siiiiiiiigh*

EDITED TO ADD:  The wallet is sitting safely in someone's office.  I will pick it up later today.  Dang it, though, all the credit cards are canceled.  But still, this is the best sort of outcome, and I got the call before I went to get my license replaced.  Big whew.

Answer to Yesterday's Question: Yes, Apparently.

Well, a little adversity adds to the storytelling and the fun memories, I suppose.  But Joan is my witness: I am a magnet for the bizarre. It's almost as if I'm walking around carrying a sandwich board that says, "Blogger needs work. Please give me something to write!" and the universe is ever-so-kindly obliging.

Ergo, if you wanna have a good time, call 5FR-EAK-SHOW, and go somewhere with me.  Guaranteed to be memorable or your money back! 

So after we had finished with one building, we hobbled through the mud and walked into a barn where there was a nice display of really great-looking felted items -- an amazing big dragon and some artistic figures of various kinds.  I was admiring a very realistic-looking (well, except for the twee Christmas froufrou stuff attached to it) felted Sorel boot. I picked it up to show Joan, because it was tight in there, and she was using a walking stick and having trouble negotiating the place.  A voice from somewhere behind me said, and when I say said, I mean shrieked, "Lady, can't you READ?  It says do not TOUCH."  I started to turn around and said, "What?"  She said, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"  

Stunned, I dropped the felted boot and looked to see where this was coming from, with a huge smile on my face and a giggle.  I have a lot of friends with slightly sick senses of humor, and it could very well have been one of them.  But no.  It was just that Halloween had come to Vermont a bit early.  It was a lady sitting behind a barrier that we later not-so-affectionately referred to as "The Troll Lady."  

The sign that said "Don't touch" was a handwritten Sharpy scrawl on a piece of lined notebook paper, stuck onto the shelving with a little piece of masking tape at hip level (whereas the items on display that I was admiring were up at eye level) and curled up from the rain.  

Who ever heard of NOT TOUCHING THINGS at a fiber festival?  It's a TACTILE experience.  And if you don't want items to be TOUCHED, particularly at a fiber festival where touching is very much a part of the experience, put them behind glass.

So I put it down, and then she screamed at me to NOW, STAND IT UP! My sense of humor evaporated -- *poof* -- and I told her I shouldn't TOUCH IT, so I wasn't going to STAND IT UP. Joan and I both said, "We should LEAVE now," and made sure all the other booth minders in that barn heard us.  And we did leave, looking at their uncomfortable smiles as we did so.

We were still talking about it in the lamb burger line, and the nice lady with a slight southern accent (wish I'd gotten her name and photo) in front of me said, "Where was she?" so I told her which building and where.  She says, "Hold my place.  I'm going to go TOUCH EVERYTHING in there."  So I followed her in the pouring rain with my camera in hand, to record the fireworks for y'all.  

Our new compatriot in crime goes in with a great flourish, after I had pointed out to her the troll lady, and starts touching EVERYTHING (it was the cutest thing EVER, and made me giggle).  But the troll lady saw me, recognized me, and she slithered out of there, away from the display of felted items, past me, and, without making eye contact, said in a very teeny, grudging voice, "I like your sweater."   

Memo to Vermont Sheep & Goat Association, with huge apologies to the remaining vendors whose booths we did not visit because we were turned off from the festival and left shortly after that, because none of this was your fault:  If this had been my first-ever fiber festival, I would never go to another. Also, if this were my first visit to Vermont? NEVER, ever AGAIN.   Welcome to Vermont, indeed.

BUT!  I bought some wonderful things, and let's forget all about Troll Lady so I can show them to you.  

 

I wish I could photograph this clearly and without a glare, but I can't seem to manage it.  It was labeled "Celtic Agate," and it is stunning. I also wish I could tell you the name of the vendor, but I don't seem to have that info, either.  It was the first vendor we happened upon that took credit cards, and I said to Joan, "I'm going to buy something here, JUST BECAUSE they take credit cards," and lucky for me, WOW, this stunning pendant was there.  Score.  

 

Once again, the photo does not do this luscious "Autumn Flame" sock yarn justice.   It's Ivy Brambles SockScene 100% merino from Yarn and Fiber.  

Now, I know what you're thinking -- "You don't knit socks!"  

True, but I planned on making a cowl with it.  Well, as great fortune would have it, in the next booth I stopped, I got to try on one of Anne Hanson's wonderful neckwarmers, Spiraluscious, at the DyeDreams booth.  I loved it, and I also loved the sweet KnitSpot kits she had put together -- choose your pattern, choose your yarn, and it all came packed in a great see-through plastic tote bag.  Very neat.  Joan got one, and I would have, but I had already bought this yarn at another booth. I bought the pattern from KnitSpot as soon as I got home. 

Except for one other thing that I can't blog about, that's all I got at the festival, except for a few hugs and laughs and getting screeched at by Troll Lady. And that was followed by a wonderful meal -- complete with a really weird (but highly positive) experience of its own -- at a grill and pub in Waterbury called Arvad's.  Highly recommended.