A Day in the Life

Oops! I completely forgot to post yesterday. I almost didn't make it today either, but I would have had a better reason.

My day started out fine. I had an appt. in LA, so I took the opportunity to visit my good friend Traci. We went to Santa Monica to run an errand, so I suggested that we stop at Wild Fiber. When you're that close to a yarn store, you just have to go in. I taught Traci how to knit when she was first pregnant fifteen years ago. She knitted for several years when her kids were little, but then stopped completely. I guess motherhood took over.

We roamed the store admiring and petting the yarn. We were just about to leave when my friend spotted a sample scarf that she really liked. I told her she could easily make that. Ha! She walked out with the yarn and pattern. Hook, line and sinker! Maybe it will stick this time. Just doing my part to spread the joy of knitting.

After we enjoyed a nice lunch, I headed home. Before I got there, I learned my 2 year old nephew was in the hospital, so I headed straight over. Turns out, he has a bad case of the croup. They're keeping him overnight for observation. I hope he is well enough to come home tomorrow. He looks so sad. I'm going back tomorrow. Even though I can't do anything to make him better, I can at least give my sister some moral support.

Get better soon Adam!

Sunday Farmers' Market

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday morning is go to the farmers' market. Claremont's is a small one, only spanning the length of one block, but there's a good variety of fruits and vegetables.

There are even a few artists that sell their work. Jewelry, pottery, photography, handmade soap, etc.



I especially love these little ceramic jars. They're so delicate and beautifully made. The little figurines on the lids add a touch of whimsy. I always admire them and yet I don't own one. Someday. Part of the problem is choosing which one I want to bring home with me. I just can't choose only one.

This is how I spent my morning. I'm glad I went early. We've been having very hot weather. Yesterday it was 104.



The market always inspires me to buy vegetables I usually don't buy and to try to use the ones I do in new ways. Today I bought figs. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. I bought stuff for salads too, but the figs were the unique ingredient of the day.



After the market, I went to a local cafe for coffee and a pain au chocolate.




The recipe for a perfect Sunday morning.

Interview with Jeff

I had seen this interview a long time ago on a couple of blogs I read. I always wanted to do it and now I'm finally getting around to it.


Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Jeff: That it gives you a creative, constructive hobby.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?

Jeff: That it distracts from other things you could be doing.

Me: What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Jeff: My gray sweater.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Jeff: No. An expensive hobby would be like collecting cars, racing motorcycles or golf. I think men have more expensive hobbies. Knitting isn't a cheap hobby, but it's not expensive. It's average.

Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Jeff: Yes

Me: What are your hobbies?
Jeff: Running and watching NFL Football on TV.

Me: If we compared money spent on hobbies, who would win?
Jeff: What does winning mean? Spending less money or spending more?
Me: Who spends more?
Jeff: I think mine are more expensive.

(Let me explain, because you're probably wondering how just how expensive running and watching football can be, right? Jeff is a serious runner. He runs 2-3 marathons a year. He buys new shoes every two months and we travel to other cities for marathons, so he's figuring in these costs.

As for football, we have NFL Sunday Ticket which is a service Direct TV offers which gives you access to every football game being played each week. He's also in three fantasy football leagues and traveled twice this year for two of the drafts.

I think we're probably even when you factor in my expenses at Stitches. But I'm glad he doesn't think so. wink)

Me: Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
Jeff: No

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Jeff: No. I know that you don't like synthetics, but I don't know what your favorite type of yarn is. I don't even know if you have one. I thought it depended on what you were going make with it.

Me: Can you name another blog?
Jeff: Brooklyn Tweed. And then there's also the Yarn Harlot.

Me: Do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?
Jeff: No.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Jeff: No.

Me: Do you read my blog?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn’t knit?
Jeff: Yes

Me: Is there anything you would like to add in closing?
Jeff: I'm happy that you have a hobby that you enjoy. I'm glad that you're into your thing and it makes you happy.

Jeff: What is the importance of a swatch? Is that what you knit first when you start a FO?

And with that, I'm off to explain the importance of swatching and what a FO is.....

Finished!

Project: Princess Mitts
Yarn: Blue Sky Melange
Needles: Size 5 dpns
Start: 8/27/09
Finish: 8/28/09

I finished these by 2 pm today. Here I thought I would be weaving in the ends in the parking lot before I went into the restaurant. I finished in plenty of time. You can't see the cablework in the picture very well. If you squint you can see it. Kind of. I was very happy with how these came out. They are so soft. I almost didn't want to give them away. The good news is that I can always make myself a pair. :)

My friend loved them. I thought I would get home with plenty of time to post this, but here it is almost midnight. Just in the nick of time.

I'm off to bed now. What will I knit tomorrow? Oh yeah. The soakers. I have to finish them so that I can move on to something more exciting.

One down...

I decided at the last minute to knit a birthday gift for my friend Lynda, because I'm crazy like that. I thought about what I could actually finish in two days. Fingerless gloves might work. Since I've made several pair of Fetchings, I didn't want to make those. I wanted something different. I've been wanting to make Evangeline for a long time, but because the arms or so long, I was worried I wouldn't finish. They're almost like a pair of socks without the toe and heel. And I'm not very fast at making socks.

So after some stash diving, and then getting distracted by lovely stash that I haven't visited with in awhile, I came up with this.



I found some Blue Skye Melange in this pretty blue, and the Princess Mitts pattern which are about the same size as the Fetchings and, therefore, possible to finish before I leave the house tomorrow at 6pm for Lynda's birthday dinner.

Status: one down.

One to go. It's going to be tight, but I think I can do it. I'm going to call it a night and get up early so the knitting can continue.

So close

I'm so close to finishing my soakers do-over. I thought I would finish them today at my knitting group, but no go. Now I have to put them on the back burner until Saturday.

I've decided to knit a last minute gift for a birthday dinner I'm going to Friday. This Friday. You know what I'll be doing for the next two days. Can she do it? More details to come tomorrow!

Good Customer Service Still Exists

I know I didn't talk much about Stitches this year. Probably because I had not been blogging much at the time, and then it seemed too late. But one thing I did want to share was the awesome customer service I received from two of the vendors there.



Vendor #1

ImagiKnit (San Francisco)- I was looking for some Malabrigo Chunky in pink to make another Dumpling Bag for my friend Brooke who is a very fun and full-of-life preteen. The ImagiKnit booth had a lot of Malabrigo. I quickly zoned in on a skein of Shocking Pink, but it was in worsted weight. I asked one of the people working the booth if they had it in chunky. He looked, but didn't find any. Now this is where I would expect him to say " I'm sorry, but we must have sold out." Instead, he said, "We probably have some at the store. Let me call and check. If we have it, we can bring it for you tomorrow." And that's just what they did. In the craziness of the market, they went out of their way to get me one skein of Malabrigo Chunky in Shocking Pink. A perfect example that good customer service is alive and well in today's world.

Vendor #2

Purlescence Yarns (Sunnyvale, CA)- My mom offered to buy me a sweater's worth of yarn as an early birthday present. Since using the Dream in Color Classy in the Baby Tulip Cardigans, I had really wanted to make something for myself with this yarn. The color Chinatown Apple was calling my name. Both Webs and Purlescence carried Dream in Color at their booths. Purlescence had more of the Chinatown Apple. As I was looking through the skeins trying to match them the best that I could, one of the employees came up to me and offered to open them from the wrapped skein so that I could compare the colors more accurately. She stood there with her arms out while I opened the skeins and draped them around her arms. I opened every skein they had and picked the ones that matched the closest. Did I mention that this was Saturday afternoon? The busiest day of the market.

I have not yet had the pleasure to visit these two stores. But after the great customer service I received from them at Stitches, I will definitely visit them when I'm in their area and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to friends.