Hangin' On

After reading The Harlot's post, I realized I haven't posted in a while.  Quite a while, actually.

Since I last posted, ToolMan and I have found a house, scheduled movers, cleaned out closets and drawers, and made arrangements for changing the utilities, etc.

DS had news for us, too.  We got a a brand new granddaughter last week.  Who just turned 14. 

Details to follow . . . .  

Sock Summit 2009, Day 1

Today at Registration, the line wasn't quite as long as yesterday, but there still were people coming in.

I hitched a ride with Tami, and we arrived about 8:30 a.m. The place was already crawling with knitters.

Every chair at every table had a knitter in it.

There were KnitStars to be spotted; if you look carefully at that front table below, you'll see the Knitmore Girls. That's Jasmine with the bright pink hair and Gigi to her left.

I also spotted Sandi Wiseheart, Amy Singer of Knitty fame, Joan Schrouder, Chrissy Gardiner, Deb Accuardi who does the "At the Kitchen Table" podcast, Cat Bordhi, Morgaine of Carolina Handspun, Jess and Casey (and Bob) from Ravelry, and Judy Becker. I spotted them and either I was running an errand for one of my teachers or they were in the midst of something, so I didn't get pictures. I'll try to get shots during the book signing tomorrow.

When class time came, the concourse looked practically deserted.

See, there were even empty chairs at Starbucks!

I had been assigned to be the volunteer teacher's aide for Nancy Bush, but when I got to the classroom and introduced myself, Nancy said she was pretty self-sufficient, but . . . . And then Stephanie poked her head through the door. Nancy explained that she really didn't need an assistant, but Judith McKenzie McCuin was next door and her usual assistant was not able to come with her. So, I was tagged to cover both teachers!

Judith's class today was "The Gentle Art of Spinning for Socks", and I can tell you that even without a wheel, I learned a tremendous amount. I think I probably have enough new information to build several lesson for Portland Spinnerati!

Classes let out at 4:30, so Tami and I hit the Marketplace. We made a beeline to the SockSummit booth and each of us snagged a great knitting bag with the Sock Summit logo on the front.

We made a quick swing around to see StitchJones' booth and decide we needed a plan before tackling the whole thing. Thank goodness we have 3 more days to snag whatever we can't live without!

Now, I've got to unpack the two bags I hauled today, consolidate into the new bag, and rest up for tomorrow. I plan on Kinneering as many KnitStars as I can.

Sock Summit 2009 Early Registration

So, ToolMan and I trekked downtown to the Convention Center so I could register early and get my final volunteer instructions. We worked our way over to the Dragon Boat, under which was the registration desk. Holy cow; the lines were already waaaaay long! I whipped out the camera to take a picture, pushed the power button, and . . . . nada. Dead battery. So you'll just have to take my word that the PDX Knit Bloggers were there in force. Some were working the desk, and others squatted at a table and were knitting. MonicaPDX was there; so was Judy Becker, whom Rachel and Angela embarrassed by going all fangirl on her (like they couldn't get her autograph any Wednesday night!). And the Knitmore Girls, who came over to schmooze and snuggle trtlbby. Of course, Tina was there, and Stephanie, and RachelHoftheComm. I also spotted lots of others, too many to mention really. And we met some new friends who came for the Summit. I got my credentials and my marching orders: I am to be the teachers aide/bodyguard/nanny for Nancy Bush for the duration. But I will be sneaking out from time to time to take pictures for the nightly blog posts. Provided my camera works. And yes, the battery is charging right this very minute.

The Harlot was here!

Actually, the fun actually couple days ahead of her arrival. Blue Moon Fiber sponsored an "Inexplicable Knitting Behavior Scavenger Hunt", complete with a long list of Portland related sights for "Socketeers" to take their own sock-in-progress for pictures. The idea was to gain points and win prizes which were to be awarded at the Harlot's appearance. I had to work that day, so I didn't stand a snowball's chance of getting enough points for the big prizes, but I did manage to snag a couple of pictures worth sharing.

My boss, to whom I had to request that he hold my sock three times before he agreed. Not because he's dim or anything, he just couldn't understand why I would knit a sock, or ask him to hold it, or take a picture of it. I think he only agreed because it seemed harmless at the time.



Don't anybody tell him about our plans, and maps, and strategies to take over the world, OK?

And his boss, who never really understood why someone shoved this in his hand and then took a picture.



Immediately after I snapped the pics, each one of them said, "This isn't going to show up on the Internet someplace, is it?" After all, they ARE attorneys, you know. So let's just keep this our little secret, OK?

As soon as I could escape the office, I made my way to MAX and the World Forestry Center and found my peeps. In the lobby, Blue Moon was selling all the Harlot's books, as well as skeins of yarn they dyed especially for the event, with all the proceeds going to the Harlot's favorite charity, Doctors Without Borders. If you didn't make the event, or did and want another skein of yarn, Blue Moon said it would be available on their site in a few days.

Cindy, Kathleen, Kerin, and Monica had arrived early and snagged a bunch of premo seats for the PDXKB crowd:



We were there 2 hours early, so we talked about our knitting projects.



That's Roxie down there on the right, wearing her "Lizard Queen" hat. It's got everything: pink, sparkly, flowers, lace, beads, and dangles. What else could you possibly add?



I was surprised to see Judy there; especially since she was supposed to be in a conference back east.



And look! She even brought her socks-in-progress!

Man, the crowd was huge! And loud! Just listen:



Then, we started to look around at some of the other fantastic knitted things. There was this great cabled ruana:



The picture really doesn't do this justice; it was a beautiful berry red and the cables were perfection!

This poor guy must have been dragged here by his lady friend. He wore this great hat, but spent the whole time reading his e-reader. I would be surprised if she didn't go home with whiplash, though from all the knit ogling she was doing.



Badger came walking by the PDXKB group and garnered not only some cat calls, but had the possibility of picking up some extra money as $ bills were being waved at him as he turned the corner. He said the sweater is for his dad, but he hasn't gifted it yet, so he swore us to secrecy.



Yes, I took pictures of the Harlot, and of Duffy's "bring the house down" serenade. But none of the shots came out. Because I had the flash on the wrong setting. Clear evidence that my camera is are afflicted with the dread disease: PICNIC. "Problem In Chair, Not In Camera." So, wander on over to some of the PDXKB gang's blogs and get good pics and some videos.

I did eventually get it working again, just in time for Stitch Jones to make it to the head of the line:



That is one happy PDXKBer!

She presented the Harlot with a special skein of her yarn, dyed especially for her in Harlot-y colors.



It was about this time that the PDXKB group "thread jacked" the line for signatures. I think we scared the Harlot a little.



Thankfully, we'd all bought pre-signed books or I think she would've made a break for the door. As it was, we got her to pose with all of us, including Judy, and her traveling sock. Unfortunately, none of us took the picture. I hope it shows up on her blog! And I hope she had a much fun as we
did!

Edited later to add: If you really want to see what scared the Harlot, then go here and see for yourself.

With apologies to Mr. Gore

Sorry, Al, but right now, I'm really having a hard time with the whole "global warming" scenario. After all, just a couple weeks ago, we had snow. Sure, last Saturday it was 80 degrees here. But yesterday? We got this:

Yep, snow and hail. And ToolMan has been warming up the car every morning because of frost on the windshield. In April! Rather than likening temperatures to a description of Lake Woebegone children, this year is starting to feel more like another 1816.

The cold weather has kept ToolMan and I inside this weekend. The bats from Barbara has dried nicely.

It came out in a nicely heathered coral/pink. And the Sulky Pearlescent thread added just the right amount of sparkle.

And it is oh, so soft! I got 368 yards of 2-ply, which should be plenty for a large scarf/small shawl. I want to find a pretty lace pattern with some sort of shell design for this. As much as I want to dive right into it, I'll wait until I find just the right pattern.

We've been spending money on Andy Rooney faster than the veterinarian can say "Ka-Ching!" He was at the clinic all day Tuesday for observation and blood tests to find out he's diabetic. His blood sugar should be about 150 but was over 400, so we had to buy insulin and syringes. Then Thursday, he got sick in the middle of the night with vomiting and diarrhea, so he was back at the vet again on Friday morning. His blood sugar was over 700 so they kept him overnight in intensie care to get him stabilized. Dr. Pilversack says the drastic changes in his blood suger have caused some abdominal and intestinal distress so that meant more observation, blood tests, X-rays, and an ultrasound.

We finally got him home Saturday morning, along with adjusted insulin dosages. But he seems to be feeling better; he's gone on short walks around the neighborhood with ToolMan, and his appetite seems to be returning.

I really should cast on a pair of socks so I can take pictures for the Inexplicable Knitting Behavior for Stephanie's visit on Tuesday. Instead, I've been knitting on the shawl I started last week with the remains of the Bambu 7 .

Maybe I'll have enough time on MAX tomorrow morning to start a sock. I won't have a snowball's chance of winning the scavenger hunt, but maybe I can get pictures of the sock with my boss and a few of the downtown sites before the book signing on Tuesday. Of course, the PDX Knit Bloggers have some shenanigan's planned for Steph's visit. I'll have a full report next week. Stay tuned, sports fans; as they say, "Film at 11:00".

Hot Damn! It's Here!

Actually, that should be, "Damn! It's Hot Here!" We've been suffering through a long, wet spring. Sure, we've had glimpses of sun, but remember just two weeks ago when we had snow? So, all of a sudden, Summer showed up. It was 80 degrees yesterday, and almost that warm today. This evening, we've got warm, humid, still air; in fact, ToolMan said that if we were still in the Midwest, we'd be listening for tornado sirens.

Andy Rooney hasn't been himself lately. ToolMan and I were attributing it to his age; he was 11 in January. That is, until last week, when he started wetting the carpet in the night. A trip to the vet's office revealed that he is diabetic. We've cut down the carbs he gets (of course, we had just bought a box of dog biscuits at Costco last week) and are watching him closely for now. We want to talk to the vet about alternatives to insulin, and possibly trying to control the diabetes by tightly controlling his diet. If he does have to get insulin, he'll have to spend a day at the vet's so they can test his blood sugar and determine the dosage of insulin he'll need.

I've been hauling my purse and a bag back and forth from the MAX stop downtown to my office since December, and it's given me a sore shoulder. I carry my purse (and no matter how much I take out, it seems to weigh more every day), and a big bag with my dress shoes, lunch, a knitting project or two, mp3 player, and whatever else I apparently can't live 10 hours without. I've been wanting a rolling bag to carry all my crap in so I can give my poor shoulders a break. ToolMan tried to discourage me because he said they're easy for someone to swipe out of my hand and take off.

I got a flyer from Joann's in the mail on Friday and they had several kinds marked 50% off. Most of them were either too big easily take on MAX or were too expensive. Then, I found this one in the "Kids Crafts" section:



I've got it all loaded up (except for lunch, of course) and ready to go. And ToolMan says the blue camo is so ugly, no one will steal it.

I also bought some Sulky Opalescent thread to ply with those singles from the bats that Barbara sent to me. This afternoon, I got them all plied up; I got about 360 yards of 3 ply (2 plies of fiber and 1 of the thread). Man, they were gorgeous in the afternoon sun! After plying, it wound it onto the reel and tied the leases. It was fairly twisty when I took it off, so it's getting a nice long soak to relax.



These are going in the mail to Barbara tomorrow, in exchange for that lovely bat she sent me:



A pair of custom-made cedar sock blockers in ladies' size 7 1/2. ToolMan says these are probably the last pair he'll make; there's a lot of sanding to make them and he's much more interested in making lazy kates and shawl pins in hardwoods right now.

Here's another little goodie I got at Joann's; a mini duffel bag. The perfect size for holding a sock project for the Yarn Harlot's book party next week. And, it was in the $1 bargain bin.



Oh, that black shawl I was going to cast on last week? Yeah, well there are pattern issues. Like, no chart and their stitch counts are way off. Not MY stitch count, mind you. Their stitch count doesn't jive with what the written instructions add up to. I tried three different times to make the pattern work, and then I gave up. When my enthusiasm returns for the pattern, I'll sit down and chart it out before starting again.

In the meantime, I pulled out the remains of the Bamboo 7 left over from the Bamboo Sweater From Hell and cast on for a leaf lace shawl.



At least I know it will fit me when I'm done.

My brain is spinning . . . .

I still have spinning on the brain. I spun up the rest of the bats from Barbara today.



I'm going to let them rest until next weekend. I find that letting the singles rest for several days before plying makes for more balanced yarn.

But, gosh, aren't those singles luscious looking?



I plan on knitting this up into a large scarf/small stole. I think it'll be beautiful with my grey suit.

The only thing that been on my mind more than spinning are all the fibery events this year.
I got word that I'm going to be spinning at the Oregon State Fair this year in the Artisan's Village. I am really looking forward to it!

I'm not sure I'll make it to Black Sheep this year, but I do hope to make it to the Aurora Colony Fiber Fair in a couple weeks.

Then, of course, there's Stephanie's visit to our fair city on the 22nd to launch her new book. I'm glad Blue Moon Fibers is sponsoring her this year at the World Forestry Center. Much better venue than last year when she was here; Powells was overrun with knitters. I must remember to thank her for giving birth to the PDX Knit Bloggers; I wonder if she even knows????

And I've put in for time off before and after the TKGA Show and OFFF this year. I plan on attending all day, every day at both of them. In fact, I'm considering renting one of these for the month of September. I really want to spend time spinning and taking spinning classes, but my Country Craftsman just doesn't travel all that well.

And tonight, I'm going to cast on for this with this in black.

See ya in the funnies!

Running Around Town

That's what I 've been since my last post: running around town. On Thursday, I had a boatload of appointments (9:30, 1:00, 2:30) for jobs. Charged the cell phone, packed up knitting, loaded some podcasts on my MP3 player, got dressed up in one of my new suits (I even put on makeup!), threw my heels in the knitting back and wore walking shoes, had Tool Man drop me at the MAX station and was headed downtown. I wave as he pulls out of the parking lot, walk to the platform, and . . . . one machine won't take bills or cards, and the other is completely out of service. At 8:00 a.m. on a weekday. WTF? Not having $4.25 in change, I have to ride to the next stop, get off, buy a ticket, and wait for another train. I may not be all that bright, but I'm not risking a $75 ticket for not having a ticket.

The next train comes, and I actually get a seat! Make it to the first appointment (9:30 for a 2nd intereview) with less than 5 minutes to spare and find out . . . . . the attorney I'm supposed to meet with is stuck in a traffic jam (overturned double semi on the interstate) and can't make the appointment. So we reschedule, and now I have 3 hours to kill before my next appointment. Called the headhunter and let her know about the reschedule, then go shopping at Pioneer Place; stopped in Claire's and bought some cheap earrings: buy 2 get 1 free (the soon-to-be-unemployed have to find good sales). Then go to the headhunters office to put my feet up, check email, and knit.

They put me in my headhunter's office (she works from home on Friday) so I checked my email; there's a BIG to-do over another special assessment to cover replacing our doors, so I have 46 emails since last night. I waded through those and found an email from a firm I'd previously contacted on my own and the administrator wants to see me. WHOOO HOOOO! Called her and got an appointment for 4:00 that afternoon. One of the girls in the office got a salad from a street vendor for my lunch (a fabulous salad of spring greens, candied walnuts, goat cheese, fresh strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette) and then I dashed down Broadway to my 1:00 appointment.

That one went very well. Even though the administrator and I didn't know each other, we know a lot of the same people. And she's seen my resume, so it really wasn't a "sell myself" interview; it was more "see if the personalities fit" interview. We had such a good time talking, we went over the alloted hour, she said she wants me back for a 2nd interview, and I left at 2:20. Good thing my next appointment was in the same building! Then up the elevator to the next one. There, I've known the administrator for about 6 years; again, more "personality fit" interview. That one went so well, we again ran over an hour, he said he wants me back for a 2nd interview, and I left at 3:45. But I didn't realize that until I had gotten down to the street, bought a bottle of tea, and changed back to walking shoes. CRAP! My next appointment was a good 11 blocks away and NOT on a MAX line! Quick, call and let them know I'll be a little late (I didn't say also out of breath and sweaty from running). I didn't run, but I did walk very fast (as my friend Chris would say, "Quick like a bunny!") so I could try to find a ladies room to primp up before going to their office. No public ladies rooms; WTF? Good thing I've known that administrator a long time, she'll know I don't usually arrive looking frantic and disheveled! That interview also went great; although she really wants me in the office, she's out of space until renovations are done and would I be interested in floating until September? I said maybe, and we agreed to talk in a couple weeks.

That was a great day, but Friday was even better. It was a slow day at the office (most of them are now, actually) and all the attorneys were gone, so I made the executive decision to close an hour early. In order to get downtown to Powell's for Yarn Harlot's book release!

Tool Man and I took MAX downtown, got off at the library, and walked toward Powell's. It was now 4:00 (I wanted to go into Powell's, get my book, and find the tribe of knitters) so Tool Man suggested we have a drink or two before the 7:30 start time. I say, "Sure, we've got lots of time", but I'm really thinking, "DOESN'T HE REALIZE HARLOT IS IN TOWN, THERE ARE KNITTERS WAITING FOR ME TO JOIN THEIR TRIBE, AND I WANT TO HAVE DRINKS WITH THEM, THANKS FOR COMING WITH ME, YOU CAN GO HOME NOW, SEE YOU LATER". And I AM thinking that loudly in my head. So as we're walking up 11th, we see this on top of Jake's Famous Crawfish:

Just another one of the reasons Portland is weird and I love it. We go to Living Room Theater and sit down. Tool Man wants sit and relax; I want to GO TO POWELL'S RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE HARLOT IS HERE but manage to not twitch too much and drink a mint ice tea. (They have really good tea and the coolest ladies room sink you've ever seen. Trust me on that second one.) I finally get so twitchy at 5:30 that Tool Man suggests we go now. We find our way to the Pearl Room see they haven't even begun to set up chairs and about 2 dozen people are already waiting. Tool Man says he'll meet me back here at 8:30, he's going to find a bar. Honestly, I think I really did brush him off, but I was so distracted by knitters and the wool fumes that I hardly noticed he left. The book guy finally started setting up chairs, about 100, and we knitters told him he would need LOTS more than that. He was a little condescending but continued to set up chairs. I located Kathy in the crowd (whose hair really does look great) and settled in. Pretty soon, seats around us were filled by R0dger, Melissa, and Barbara. There were also some nice younger women on the floor near me, but I never caught their names. Anyway, by 6:00 the room looked like this:

That's Rodger standing up in front. And by 6:30 it looked like this:

That's Barbara's back in the middle, and Kathy's great hair on the right. Remember, we told them they would need LOTS more chairs? Well, by 7:00, the crowd looked like this:

Standing room only; and about 10 deep in the stacks. And we were all busy examining each others work, yarn, talking patterns, yarn, feeling each other up (the projects, that is.), and exchanging blog names. Then, there she was:

Taking our pictures with the traveling sock.



Isn't that podium of stacked books just the bees' knees? You can't really see it, but they even have a big book for her to stand on.



Even though I've read her books, read her blog daily (and check back in later, like Barbara, to see if she's posted more), and usually read the comments, it was WAY better hearing her in person. Melissa and I got so tickled, I think both of us would pee our pants! And it was over WAY too soon. I didn't stay for the book signing, but I did leave her a dishcloth with a little gift inside (a Moonstruck chocolate bar). Tool Man was standing in the back waiting for me, and I felt like he'd been SO patient all night long that I really couldn't say, "Ok, wait for another hour while I stand in line, have a brain freeze when she actually talks to me, and then listen for another hour while I tell you all about how it was for me." Ok, well, I did do that third part, but I spared him the first two things while we ate dinner at Jake's and headed home.

I had a great time, both days. I didn't get much knitting done on either one, but I got to walk all over a city that I love, the weather was great, spent time with Tool Man doing something out of the ordinary, made new friends, ate great seafood, and laughed my arse off. What more could anybody want?